The Wandering Woman
by Fallen's child
Summary: She lived a full life and died a peaceful death only to be reborn in a world she once considered fiction. Akiko chooses not to interfere with what she remembers of the plot and embrace the traditions of the women of her family and wander the lands. This plan ends in tatters when she meets one Kakashi Hatake, whom no matter how she tries to avoid, keeps showing up. SI/OC slow burn!
1. The Start of the Road

**Hi! I'm posting another story! This time I want to try my hand at an SI but she's going to be a bit different from the rest. I'm not abandoning 'A drop of Time' this is just what I'll write when I'm in the mood or something.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto I just own the plot and Akiko**

 **So Enjoy!**

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 _Birth_

When Akiko was born, she is born to Tamaki Reko a women from the small village of Forest country. Her father is Mizuk Reko of the Reko clan known for it's wandering memebers. The two had married out of circumstance rather than love but that had come later with Akiko. Akiko who is born head first and is promptly deposited into the arms of her mother, crying after they've cut the umbilical cord with a small tuffet of burnt orange hair resting on the top of her head. Akiko is born in the season of Autumn during the festival of Autumn when the winds had blown through the town bringing the sounds of cheers and happy cries into the birthing room. With a coincidence like that her parents couldn't help but name her their Autumn child, Akiko. Like any other baby, she is small and wrinkly and pink and like any other child, with the passage of time she grows.

 _Age 5_

Tamaki knows her child is different from the other children that play in the village. Akiko is quiet and reserved, that she has always been but it is the look in her daughter's eyes when she looks at the other children. Like she has been a mother herself and fondly remembers them but these looks leave as quickly as they come. Other times it's the wandering. Akiko wanders alot, Tamaki knows that Akiko wanders through the nearby forest and on the paths through the village, simply going where her feet take her. Her husband says that it is normal for the women in his family for they have the blood of nomads running through their veins. The more Tamaki see the more she believes it is true. But still she forbids her daughter from wandering too far for there is a war brewing on the horizons. Her daughter merely agrees with her had Tamaki notices that knowing and wised look of an elder who has lived a full life in her eyes but it leaves just as quickly as it had come.

 _Age 12_

Mizuk knows his daughter is more like his sisters than himself. She has the wandering look, as his mother had called it. Something that in all women of the clan had, something that they had to do, to find. He had never understood the urge himself since he had a home and a wife but the women of his clan, they were said to leave their homes at the age of 16 and wander the lands looking for a place that their hearts may call home. The scrolls had been passed down for generations, showing their scattered linage and holding the stories of the past. They were called the 'Wandering Women of the open plains'. His mother had been the same, she had wandered the lands until she had met his father where she finally settled and for all he knew his sisters were still wondering.

Mizuk knows that his daughter will leave the home to become a wanderer herself, he can already see it in how she travels the roads and the fields around the house and village and he knows that he will not be able to stop her. But he loves her all the same.

She plays with the children, still laughing freely even through the third ninja war rages in the peripherals of the minds, and it seems at times that Akiko is more aware of this than the people of the village, blessed by luck that it has not touched their boarders. But even so, he can see the knowledge his daughter holds in her eyes as she stares into the distance. There may not be a war to see but his Autumn Child has always been more aware then most so it comes as little surprise when she starts learning odd tricks and trades, from carpeting to medicinal herbs and the many in-between that she can learn and Mizuk knows that the time of when she will leave is coming, more faster than he would like to acknowledge but he can only watch as the changes take place and pray that she finds what she will be searching for among the plains.

 _Age 15_

Akiko knows she is different from the other children. She knows this truth like she knows the sky is blue and the grass is green. She knows this from the growing urge that tells her to search, to move and to wander. She knows this from the memories that she carries from a life time ago. Memories of a fulfilled, happy life and a peaceful death, one filled with peace and children and a sense of content that follows her to the next. But Akiko is still wary, just as she knows she is different, she knows to be wary. Akiko knows of the times she lives in and the future to come and with all this knowledge she chooses not to interfere but even this Akiko knows will not always go her way, that circumstance or fate may interfere and she will have no choice but to interact with the very people she hopes to avoid.

She plays with the children but there is always the sensation in which feels more of a mother to them than a fellow child. But this does not stop her from being childish, from dancing in the rain, rolling in the mud. None of it stops her for she is stubborn as an Ox, even more so and set in her ways from a time long past. Akiko lives in Forest country and even though it is a small land with little to offer but trees and wood, it borders swamp country and the Land of Earth and even from where Akiko is, she can still see the effects of war. The third war may have been affecting her small country but this didn't mean she was ignorant, nor did it stop the laughter of the children untouched by it claws. And through all this Akiko prepares from her journey to find her place, a place where she can gladly call home.

 _Age 16_

Her parents know the time has come as has she. Akiko knows her time to wander is here. Throughout the years here she has been gathering different skills and learning different tricks to help her on her journey. Her mother is teary-eyed and wishes that she could stay and be married like many of the other village girls, her father hurts silently knowing that she will face dangers that he cannot protect her from but his heart also swells with pride that she is carrying the legacy of his clan. Both of them worry and bid that she write to them, even if they cannot write back. Akiko smiles in agreement, just as teary eyed as her parents but determined to follow the strange aching in her heart that she knows will lead her across the lands just as it has done with her ancestors.

With the open road before her, the sun at her back and the wind by her side and the many possibilities laying themselves before her, Akiko sets out placing one foot in front of the other wondering what the future may bring.

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 **There you go! Yup, Akiko didn't die a horrific death to be reborn, rather she lived a full life!**

 **So please review and let me know what you think! And since this is pretty much unbeta'd, please let me know if I've made any mistake with the spelling!**


	2. The First Town

**And Another chapter! Hooray! Didn't actually think I could do it but well...here's the proof that I did!**

 **Thanks Llyrica for pointing the thing out with the 'o's and 'a's. Also a shout to the guest reviewer called pao, I couldn't find were you mentioned needed the change from 'Woman' to 'Women', If you could point it out with the sentence, that would be great!**

 **So the disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I use it for finical gain.**

 **EDIT 1/12/2015: This story now has a beta and with this note, what you are reading is the beta'd version. All betaing has been done by bleeding-roses 16**

 **Please enjoy!**

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Reincarnation is a tricky thing. There are legends in scriptures from different cultures where one dies and is reborn again, my situation was no exception. I had lived, I had died, and then I was reborn again. The only thing different was that I remembered my past life. I was born to two loving parents in a small village in Forest country, where I was given the name Akiko, which meant Autumn Child, due to the coincidence of my birthday being on the Autumn festival. I grew up carefree and happy, smiling as I enjoyed my life once more. When my fifth birthday had come around, there were several travelers had made their way to the village selling wares from far off lands and proclaiming the greatness of the Land of Lightening. There was a small niggling in the back of my mind but I had ignored it in favor of the aching in my chest, something small that seemed to pull me to them.

These men had the scent of ozone and laughed freely, and their spirit seemed as tame as the wind. I had approached them for a map and when I had finally seen the formation of the land, I came to the realization that I was in the elemental nations, something that I had seen in a show in the youth of my other life and spent the last few years of my previous life enjoying again. I had panicked, that I concede, wondering what I should do, but it didn't last long as I had made the promise not to interfere with the future as it had turned out for the better. With this in mind I let my worries pass over and the memories fade somewhat into the background.

Over time that aching in my chest grew stronger until it was explained that the women in my father's family were to wander the lands in search of something or someone that would stop the ache. I honed what skills I remembered from my past life and learnt new ones from my current, then and when I had left, it was with my family bidding me good luck and farewell.

 _Excerpt from the Memoirs of Akiko Hatake nee Reko_

 _Page 1_

X

Akiko left when the sun was high in the sky, and by the time she had stopped, it was dipping below the horizon. The night was warm with the scent of wildflowers in the air and since it was still summer, sleeping on the grass with a simple blanket was good enough to beat back the chill of the night. Akiko continued on this path for two weeks, living off the land and on foraged nuts, edible plants, and what small game animals she could catch. She had decided not to carry much since Akiko knew it would be years before she found the cure to the ache in her heart, so she only carried the essentials: a pot, a knife, one change of clothes, some small sum of money, a bag of nuts, and various medicinal herbs she had collected from the forests around her village. With no actual direction, she simply walked down the dirt path, following it until she reached something that would resemble civilization.

By the beginning of the third week, Akiko made it to the small border town of Yuni. According to the map, it had the unfortunate, or fortunate depending on how you looked at it, location of being in the cross roads of the Land of Earth, Swamp country and Forest country. It was only subject to the random visits of Shinobi rather than being an actual battle ground. Approaching the town had been an impulsive decision, but not one she regretted.

The town was alive with fever, the stall holders shouting their ware of fresh meat, warm foods, clothing and various other assortments. With a delighted laugh she rushed into the hustle and bustle of the day, there wasn't much that Akiko could buy but the atmosphere was enough. It was lively with the feeling of energy in the air, something that was contagious since she couldn't stop smiling. Milling around the stall, her eyes rest on a sign, a shop looking for a waitress. She made the spontaneous decision to get a job with room and board.

The small café that caught her eye held a warm a lively atmosphere, there were few tables but it held a large bookshelf in the back filled with various books and scrolls all in varying conditions. The owner was a short man, kind and firm. He had introduced himself as Sadao and while he had a cheerful disposition he was also not afraid to return sharp comments from either a patron or one of the staff.

 _'One would think that such behavior would scare off customers, but it just seems to endear them to the place more.'_ Akiko mused one morning after watching such a spectacle where one of the town drunks had lumbered in, reeking of alcohol and demanding service, which they had been provided without complaint. However it was this particular man's wandering hand and various lewd comment to many of the female staff that had Sadao up in arms as he considered many of his waiters and waitress part of some disjointed but functioning family. Akiko did admit to herself later, in the privacy of her room, that such a sight had been entertaining as she absently rubbed at her heart. The ache had lesson somewhat since she had first arrived in town two-three weeks ago, it seemed to remind her that she was still searching. With a tired sigh she settled in for the night, dreaming of the wind whispering in her ear.

Akiko ended up staying in town for the better part of a month, in which she got to know her work mates better and declared them friends. Akiko had also seen, from a distance, her first Shinobi. He wore the forehead protector for the Hidden stone village but he seemed different from how many of fire country had described ninja from the hidden stone, labeling them as cold as the stone that bore them and had little regard for the lives of their teammates, but from the smiles that he had brought out in the villagers with simple greets and the happy shine in his eyes, she remembered a saying her mother once told her. "To every story there are two sides, just as there are two faces of every coin." Akiko had taken this to heart in both her lives. She simply watched the man leave with a contemplative look on her face before going on her way.

By the end of her time in Yuni, Akiko had just got a good grip on the streets and side alleys and enjoyed the company the people there before she stocked up on food, her water canteen and added to her small amount of medicinal herbs and made her way out of town with many teary goodbyes, leaving with promises to write and of visiting should she swing by some time in the near future.

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 **And that's a wrap! Please let know your thought, I do like reading reviews! And thank you to all my followers and reviewers!**

 **Edit: 1/10/15: I added a bit to fix a plot hole that I hadn't realized was there!**


	3. A Harsh Reminder

**So! All of you readers, follows, favorites and reviews have inspired me to write another chapter! Tada!**

 **EDIT 1/12/2015: This story now has a beta and with this note, what you are reading is the beta'd version. All betaing has been done by bleeding-roses 16**

 **EDIT 18/12/2015: So, bleeding-roses-16 pointed out that a ninja would want to find out who buried their friends and would look for them thus at the end, I have a little extra! I hope you like it!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, but I do own the plot!**

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Wandering from place to place has its own unique charm that I must admit. It is the memory of aching joints and muscle cramps that make the movement of travelling, of walking feel so...energized. The charm of wandering is not just from knowing what my joints will feel like when I'm old and crippled; rather it is the freedom that comes with it. I am free to go where I please, of course there are limits of food and money but I survive how I chose to and if I wanted to, I could easily go with the wind in to nowhere. Going to the town of Yuni was one of those choices.

The people there are vibrant; they have that familiar sturdy feeling as those from who are from my home village, where the people endure the storms and crowd together like forests to help each other, if at times they can be a little bit overbearing. The owner of the cafe in Yuni, Sadao is one such man. He bends in the wind to keep himself from breaking, but sheltered the staff of his cafe from the...lewd actions of the occasional rowdy patron. Sadao also embodies the meaning of his name very well, when he makes a decision he will stick to it thick and thin but this does not mean he doesn't acknowledges his mistakes. My first meeting of the man was a memorable one, and certainly one I will share with my children should I have any.

I had just walked into the cafe on an impulsive decision and came across a most unusual scene that will forever have me in giggles. It is the scene of a short, stout man in a professional dress of suit and tie strong arming a full height man, who was at least two heads taller than me, and successfully throwing him out the door, of which I had sidestepped in time. Though I didn't know at the time what the man had done to warrant such behavior it certainly was amusing but during that moment I was in shock. Sadao, seeing me standing there in silent admiration quickly ushered me inside and sat me down at one of the tables.

"Hello Ma'am, my apologies for the scene but what can I get you today" He asked me, snapping me out of my shock. In a hurry I stood up again, I was there for a job not to be served.

"I saw your advertisement for a waitress and I would like to apply for the job" I blurted out in a hurry. His expression smoothed out into a smile and he sat me down again expect this time he sat with me.

"Well I am in need of a waitress, let us discuss the details" And that was the start of my stay in Yuni. Throughout that month I had made many new acquaintances and friends too, Sadao was one of the first and later I had asked about the technique he had used to throw out that man, who I was told groped some of the other staff, as it looked similar to some wrestling from my other life and as it turned out it was right. It was a form of wrestling learned from the Land of Earth and the many bars from the Hidden Stone village. Something that I have become well versed in. It hadn't taken long to learn but it was certainly enjoyable. However I still had to leave as the ache got stronger the longer I had stayed.

 _Excerpt from the Memoirs of Akiko Hatake nee Reko_

 _Page 12_

X

Death was not something that Akiko was unfamiliar with. She had seen the bodies of the deceased elders of her village and the funerals that came after, the unfortunate accidents of those in the logging business, she killed game animals to survive. So death was not a foreign concept. This experience, however, did not stop the retching that occurred when she passed a small scale battle ground two weeks after leaving Yuni to follow the boarder of the Land of Earth.

Akiko had come to notice the smell of decomposing bodies that had gotten stronger as she continued to follow the border threading her way between the tall structures of stone that signified the beginning of The Land of Earth. Unable to help her curiosity, she followed the smell weaving her way through the walk able areas of the foot of the mountain range which were shrouded in trees. She came across the bloodied weapons first, the dark red substance staining not just the weapons but the ground below them, various kunai and shuriken littered the ground and embedded in several tree trunks and even in a few boulders. Akiko shivered as a chill ran down her spine, a sudden irrational fear of her surroundings, and felt weary of the lack of bird song in the area. Akiko took a shallow breath to calm her heart before she continued to follow the smell. The closer she got the more signs that a battle took place. There were holes in the ground from explosions, gathering water that couldn't have come from a nearby river, pieces of earth in different shapes, such as the form of sharp spears and others were the shattered pieces of walls. Akiko could feel her skin prickle with energy, she could feel it in the air giving the atmosphere an oppressive and heavy feeling, but still she continued on.

The trees surrounding the area became darker the closer she got, suddenly wishing she was back on the road. Here she had no comfort as she was confronted with the brutality of this world she had willingly forgot. The mountains that towered above her, some of which were splashed in blood and covered in scorch marks of fires and explosions. There bodies strewn in what would have been considered a peaceful clearing if not for the corpses and stench of death. Each of the bodies had different head bands. The few she could recognize without touching were of the Hidden Leaf.

 _'This must have been some of the border skirmishes that occurred after the war.'_ Comes the realization. With curiosity that getting the better of her, Akiko inched closer before promptly vomiting what little breakfast she had this morning. In both her lives, Akiko has never seen violence to this scale. Of course she had seen the news, or watched the television but they were all scripted and she had the knowledge that it was fake. This was different, here, these were real people living their own lives, having their own problems and searching for and living their own happiness. Logically, Akiko knew that even if she intervened with the future that she had seen, there would still be deaths. That was a fact and completely unavoidable for everyone. Of this Akiko held no delusions, knowing that in time she too would die. That didn't make it any easier to handle though. It was one thing to die of natural causes, or even a quick death, but a whole other matter to die like these people did.

The bodies were covered in blood, some still had their eyes open and their faces eaten by maggots, others were missing limbs, burnt skin and melted faces. The smell made her eyes water and Akiko cursed her curiosity for getting her into this situation. Instead of leaving, Akiko ventures closer to the bodies, feeling somewhat obliged to help, that it is her duty to give rest to these souls because even though she doesn't have a faith to follow she has her own beliefs. It takes her four hours to gather up six bodies in total and as many body pieces as she can. Akiko piles them together after closing their eyes, her mother's voice in her ear. _'When people die with their eyes open, it means that they died a violent and sudden death. We close their eyes so their spirits can be a peace rather than being stuck in such violence and pain.'_

Akiko can feel her stomach rebel and churn uneasily; threatening to reject what little fluid she has in it as she touches their clammy, cold skin. Shrieking when some of the skin peels off as she moves them, feeling tendrils of disgust which she tries to smothers quickly. These were not people she knew and while it may repulse her Akiko would not disrespect these people by reacting on such emotions, firm in her belief, she continues with her self-appointed task. Once the six bodies are in a pile, as undignified as it was, Akiko gathers the dry wood and places it around them something akin to that of camp fire. The small and easily burnt stuff like leaves and bark at the bottom and what large pieces of wood she could hack off with her knife surround the bodies at a tilted angle. Akiko knows there may be the possibility of an easier way to start a fire in the waist pouches but she doesn't go through them, both because it is disrespectful to the dead and because there may be poison or traps. She just doesn't take the risk.

With her pieces of flint, she strikes a small spark that slowly turns in to a flame, the gases of the decomposing bodies adding fuel to the fire and soon the bodies began to burn, leaving a long thick spiral of black smoke in the sky. Akiko knows that soon some ninja will come to check the sight but her work is not yet done. These bodies have no identities but their head bands so she gathers twelve sticks and binds them into crosses using the twine of small shrubs and gently hammers them into the ground with the butt of her knife. Once that is done, Akiko takes great care in tying each of the head band to each cross as the only sign of a grave. Three are of the Leaf village and three are of the Stone.

 _'Two three man squads...'_ her mind echoes numbly and with a prayer to the souls, she gathers her bag and moves further away from the site and back onto the road. Her mind thinks over what she had just seen and done, it served as a harsh reminder that even though her country had been fortunate enough to escape the Third War unscathed, others were not. It reminded her of the tension between the villages that she had seen on screens as a child, that the shinobi world was littered with the dead and hatred was easy to find. It had left her with an uneasy weight in the back of her mind only lightened by the thought that at least those shinobi had gotten a burial and a release of their spirits.

X

Four stone shinobi quickly travel through the mountain pass, following the large column of black smoke in the sky. When they arrive at the source they are greeted by a still burning pile of bodies, however it is not that keeps them silent, it is the six crosses three bearing the forehead protector of the Hidden stone village and three of the Hidden leaf. Unbiased as whom ever had done this as each cross is seen to be put together with tender care and respect, giving all the shinobi that were in battle a respectful burial. The squad of the Hidden stone send silent prayers to the spirits of their brethren and to the person, their silent thanks.

After their prays were given, the Rock ninja exchanged glances with each other as they were curious about the person who had prepared a burial for their men that would erase the villages secrets. One man with a stern visage nodded to his teammates and they vanished into the trees in search of the mystery person who would do this.

It didn't take long for the four man squad to locate the only person for miles and they were quietly surprised when each of them got a good look at the person.

It was a woman. A woman with dark orange hair that shifted colours to that of a sunset when she passed under the small gaps of light. She wore a shirt that was a size too big with faint stains of dirt splattered across it, deep brown farmer pants that brushed her ankle as she walked and a pair of black enclosed shoes with only a slit at the top.

It was a strange thought of a woman making her way along the boarder, one that had the shinobi frowning slightly. They were sure that she was the one that burned the bodies for the smell of fire, ash and burnt flesh clung to her clothes and wafted to them in the wind, there was also the slightly dazed look in her eyes as she stared ahead.

The team leader nodded to his comrades, passing on the command to remain observing this...civilian until more information could be found. All with the same thought in their minds.

 _'Why did she help them?'_

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 **So a word of warning, there is some badly described gore (to me any way), just a heads up. And as I said, Akiko is not your typical SI character. Instead of dying at a young age, she has lived a full life and probably slipped away in sleep that is why she seems more mature and speaks of aching joints. Also just because she has the memories of living til around eighty, doesn't mean she is. In her current body, she is a teenager with teenaged brain chemistry and even through she has the experience of a long life she will still make impulsive decisions which will be mistakes.**

 **So there is it. I know it seems like Akiko isn't affected by the bodies and stuff, but it'll go more in-depth of her thoughts in the next chapter.**

 **Please leave a review and let me know what you think!**


	4. The Long Haul and A First Encounter

**Alright you luck ducks! Another chapter is here! Thank you my lovely reviewers! Your encouragement is awesome!**

 **EDIT 1/12/2015: This story now has a beta and with this note, what you are reading is the beta'd version. All betaing has been done by bleeding-roses 16**

 **Also warning for some very light swearing.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or it's character. I just own Akiko and the plot.**

 **Enjoy!**

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Death was something that I was aware of. I was aware of it but I never gave it due consideration. I knew people died, even during the funerals, it was an abstract concept something that I simply accepted and forgot later on. But this encounter with it brought it to the forefront of my mind, people died in this world. The people I love would die, and it hurt to think of it, the fact that it was true made it worse. And for a moment I considered doing my best not to make bonds with others if only for the fear of their deaths and the pain it will cause me. That notion reminded me of another that had taken that path as his own and even then there was still pain. Quashing that notion at the root, I looked further ahead beyond my own selfishness. Even If I chose not to make bonds, people were persistent and I knew that they would wiggle their way into my heart.

Death was a part of life for it gives reason for people to live and those battle and the things we see are reminders to keep living be they good or bad, happy or sad. Even now I still have nightmares of coming across my first Shinobi battle, they were the first of many sites that I had come across in my travels over the elemental nations and they were proof that death does not discriminate. Hate is hate, causing death and revenge in a constant cycle. That was my first encounter with the aftermath of the cycle of hatred. Something that I knew was part of the shinobi system, almost an intrinsic part of it.

 _Excerpt from the Memoirs of Akiko Hatake nee Reko_

 _Page 26_

X

Akiko had spent the next month and a half continuing to make her way along the border, sometimes avoiding the steep outcrops and other times climbing over the smaller ones either watching the sun set or rise like a great big ball of orange flame rising across the sky. She continued along this path keeping an eye out for a change in terrain on a parallel running border to Swamp Country as at the moment it held the perpetual scent of decomposing grass mixed in with a rich earthy smell, but that was what she could smell at night. During the day, however was a different story. The heat of the beating sun emphasized the smell of the rotting plants and perhaps whatever dead animals in the area. Originally Akiko had attempted to cross into swamp country for an easier path to Bird Country as, from what she could see, a small number of trees and what seemed like flat and open land. She had gotten a few meters in before she started to sink. By the time she had sunk to her calf, Akiko made the decision to make her way back to the border of stone as quickly as possible.

She continued to making slow progress across the mountainous expanse but it was another three months before she arrived at the borders of Bird country and by then Akiko was sure that she was darker than her hair which only seemed to glow in the days under the sun rather than bleach. Bird country held true to its name sake because as Akiko moved further into the country, the land was completely filled with bird song, so much so that there was rarely any quiet. The trees and grass held a different tinge of green and a different feeling to her home. While Forest had deep hues of green and the trees with a hardy feel, as if they are people who stand simply to sway slightly in the wind. In Bird, the greens didn't have the same deep greens instead there were various colours, green, light green, brown and yellow altogether giving Akiko the sense that these trees didn't follow the seasons as it did in forest but to how they measure time.

On her way through Bird country, she passed by various houses and rice paddies, each with people in the fields working the lands, completely focused on their tasks. As Akiko wondered at the sight of people, who she hadn't seen in months, she began to notice a few looks being thrown in her direction, a ball of unease began to grow heightening her attention to her surroundings. At first she wasn't entirely sure why people were staring at her until a woman had snagged the edged of her travel shirt and tugged her into what looked like a local restaurant.

"Are you travelling by yourself?" Akiko was thrown by the sudden question from a complete stranger, but it was the worried undertone that had Akiko pausing and answering the question.

"Yes I am" She answered with a succinct tone, barely edging down to sharp. The woman across from Akiko frowned, crow's feet crinkling around the edges of her eyes and the speckled black hair gave the aura of wise, elderly and safe though that Akiko remembered a saying that was very loved in her time and very fitting in this one. 'Never judge a book by its cover'. The woman muttered to herself and Akiko could only catch a few words. 'Wandering', 'women', 'stupid', and 'Reko'. Akiko frowned at the words she heard but stayed silent, waiting for the unknown before her to make the first move.

The woman waves away a waiter that had seen them enter before sighing heavily.

"So are you planning to travel all over the elemental nations looking like that?" She gestures to Akiko's form. Akiko frowned in response, puzzlement showing on her features as she looked down at herself.

"Like a woman without company on the road?" The woman tries again. Akiko takes it as an insult and opens her mouth to retort even though there is a thought niggling around in the back of her mind and she can't grasp it.

"Look I'm sure you've noticed the stares since you came." She cuts her off and Akiko nods slowly. She had noticed them and something about it set her on edge but she keeps silent.

"You're a pretty girl who is travelling alone. There are people, men in particular, who will use this to their advantage." and Akiko can feel the blood drain from her face as understanding dawns on her. The one thing that she had forgotten was the one thing that would affect her most. She was a woman travelling by herself and if she had been cornered by bandits or rouge ninja. Akiko didn't want to think about it, instead she thanked her lucky stars that during her four months along the Land of Earth border she hadn't run into anyone.

"I can see that you've realized what I've been trying to say." The woman says wearily. Akiko blinked at her before voicing her own question.

"Why did you help me?" Because in this world, if someone helps it means that they want something in return. Give and take, that was the bottom line here.

"You're a Reko and I owed a debt to one of the women in your family." She said plainly.

 _'Ah, so it was a debt._ ' Akiko mused to herself however another thing the woman said caught her attention.

"How did you know I was a Reko?" She asked curiously, because as far as she knows there is nothing to give that fact away. The woman lets out an unladylike snort.

"It's your hair sweetheart. Only Reko women have hair like yours."

"My hair?" she asked, fingering a lock of her hair.

"That sunset orange colour." The woman clarifies with a pointed look.

Akiko had always thought that her hair had been odd considering her father had the usual dark brown and her mother was blond. The two shouldn't, according to her meager knowledge of genetics, have had an orange haired baby but they did.

Akiko was brought out of her thoughts by the woman placing a pointed bamboo hat on the table. She looked at her questioningly.

"It'll hide the hair and a bit of your face. You are certainly tan enough to look like you've been working the fields" Akiko blushed at her words, nodding her thanks.

The woman smiled at her before getting out of her chair and started to make her way out of the restaurant. With a startled jolt, Akiko realized that she never got the woman's name. In a last ditch attempt she called out.

"Wait, I never got your name!" The woman turned slightly, smiling at the blush on Akiko's cheeks when other patrons in the place turned in her direction.

"Naoki." is all she says before vanishing into the doorway and Akiko falls back on her seat, releasing a sigh at the strange turn of events.

X

Akiko had left the small clusters of homes, too small to be called a town, with the conical hat on and her hair bundled in twine **,** hiding it **s** length and combined with her loose fitting shirt, it was passable that she would be mistaken as a man at first glance. All that was required to complete that image was some way to bind her chest, so Akiko resolved to buy bandages once she passed a town large enough to sell them at the appropriate length. Akiko continued on her way to the capital of Bird country, this time staying on the road rather than simply picking a direction and following it like she had done along the border.

It takes less than three weeks of walking and sleeping in trees to reach the capital in the early morning and Akiko fee **t** some loss at being no longer able to watch the sun rise and set on the mountain tops. She enter **ed** the town and took note that there are more houses, her attention is quickly turned to shouting and yelling of prices and Akiko grins. Her favorite part of any town are the markets and the fact that she arrived in the early morning is even better. She follows her ear and eventually the smell of food, hot food. Akiko can feel the saliva pooling in her mouth. And as she turns the corner and can't stop the grin from widening.

There are people browsing along the stalls, some with fresh vegetables like cabbage and others with live fish swimming in their small containers as customers point at them, bantering with the stall keeper about the prices. Akiko could see steam rising from a few shops as they opened their doors letting the tantalizing aroma of steamed sweet buns fill the air. Letting out a joy-filled laugh, she makes her way through the crowd looking at the wares of stalls and shops. Buying some of the sweet buns she smelt and cooing at the caged birds that sang when instructed. With a content sigh and a silly grin, Akiko makes her way through the various streets admiring the delicate architecture of the houses as she searched for either a job or an inn for the night.

X

She found neither on that day. Many of the shops didn't need any extra hands and she couldn't find an inn that was cheap enough that she could afford so Akiko had settled for sleeping in one of the trees outside of town should anyone notice her and force her to leave. With a yawn, Akiko made her way to the public baths, absently scratching her scalp as she let her hair down. She was in desperate need of a wash and Akiko did not consider dipping into cold lakes as a wash. Passing by the fenced baths, she was making her way to the entrance when she heard...giggling. Stopping in her tracks, Akiko slowly turned towards the giggling and came face to face with a tree.

 _'The giggling is coming from IN the tree'_ Craning her head, she glimpses flashes of red clothing. This time, Akiko can hear pencil scratching on paper accompanying the giggling, interspersed with:

"Oh! Yeah" and "Come on, just turn to the right!" and "look at those! Their perfect!" Flushing with righteous female anger on behalf of her sex, she backs away until she is closer to the wooden wall. Taking a deep breath and shouts.

"PERVERT IN THE TREE AND HE'S GOT A DAMN TELESCOPE" And for four seconds there is absolute silence before the air is filled with outraged screeches, the thunder of feet as women pour out of the baths and look to where Akiko is pointing.

"Shit"

"GET HIM!", "YOU PERVERT", "DAMN YOU!"

Akiko can only stare in open mouthed amazement at the strength of the outraged women as the tree collapses like paper from the kicks of bare feet. Out of the tree tumbles a man with shocking white in a red haori and she watches him stand up and run, catching a glimpse of his face as looks back on the crowd as they chase after him. There were two red lines leading down from his eyes to his jaw and wore a forehead protector with the kanji for oil. Akiko's jaw drops as she realizes just who the man was. Jiraiya of the Sannin. Dazed from the encounter with the man, Akiko carries out her original plan to have a bath, operating completely on automatic.

 _'What a first impression that was.'_

* * *

 **Well, I know it's not Kakashi, but some where in the next few chapters Akiko will meet Kakashi in some form or other.**

 **Please review and let me know what you think!**


	5. The Journey Continues

_Would you look at this! I'm spitting out another chapter! To me it feels like a slight filler but it's still good as a chapter._

 _Thank you to my lovely readers and reviews, which I will thank at the end. Again this work is unbeta'd so let me know if there are any spelling or grammar mistakes._

 _Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, I just have Akiko and the plot._

 **EDIT 1/12/2015: This story now has a beta and with this note, what you are reading is the beta'd version. All betaing has been done by bleeding-roses 16**

* * *

My first meeting with Jiraiya was more of a passing glance. It was also the first time that I had come across a Leaf ninja, at the time I knew that I was no-where near the leaf so for a moment it had stumped me that I had run into one. Leaf ninja were bound to one place, their village, either by familial bonds or a sense of duty. Something that took me a while to comprehend even though I used to be the same, but after years of wandering it became a foreign concept to me. Later on I would see the Toad Sage during various years as he travelled as widely as I did, but I knew that he would always be called back to his home. Something that I was still searching for.

Once I was properly introduced to him, I was surprised that he had even remembered me during the times I had seen him. We had never stopped to talk and it had taken me a while to recognize him. But of one thing I was certain, he wasn't the first Leaf ninja I was going to run into. However, it would take me three years before I stumbled across another.

 _Excerpt from the Memoirs of Akiko Hatake nee Reko_

 _Page 38_

X

Once more Akiko wondered the streets of Gufu, which she had learned from nearby map was the name of the capital of Bird Country, in search of work. She had planned to stay for a month like she had in Yuni but if she could find no job, Akiko knew she would have to move on which she was wary of doing with her meagre supplies and small amount of money. Akiko walked along the streets, humming under her breath the songs she could remember from her past life while keeping a sharp eye on the shops and stalls she passed. As she passed, someone called out to her.

"Hey! You in the straw hat!" Came the voice of a man, Akiko stopped and turned in the direction of the voice and saw an old man sitting in a chair under a bamboo umbrella. She tilted her head curiously as she took in his appearance. The man was old, that much she could tell from the wrinkles on his skin, his skin had darkened to a considerable degree from most likely working under the sun for long periods of time and his clothes were closer to rags as they hung off his body like a sack. With some deliberation, Akiko made her way over to the man.

"I saw you yesterday circle 'round. You looking for a job?" He asks unprompted. Akiko keeps silent but nods her head, the hat covering the upper part of her face. The man grumbles under his breath.

"You don't speak much, do ya." He cleared his throat and spoke louder this time, unaware that Akiko had heard him **,** "Well, I'm in need of an extra pair of hand on the rice paddies. You up for it?" He offers. Akiko knows that she needs the work and money but not wanting to agree or decline until she knew more said.

"I'm only here for a month." The man started at the sound of her voice.

"You're a girl?" He asked incredulously and Akiko lifts her head so he can see her unimpressed raised eyebrow.

"Right, right. I'll only need help for a month." He continues.

"Do you do bed and board?" Akiko questions, bartering with her new boss.

"Yep, I've got that. So you in?" He leans closer in anticipation, grinning.

"When do I start?" She asks, grinning the same smile as the man before her. He laughed loudly, patting his leg before getting up to pack away his chair and umbrella.

"I like you. The names' Takumi" he says still chuckling.

"Akiko" She smiles and follows him as he walks off through the city to one of the exits without hesitation.

X

Akiko spends the next month on the surrounding rice paddies harvesting the rice and preparing them to dry for the upcoming rice festival and it is there that she realizes that she has been away from home for almost 8 months, her birthday had passed without her knowledge while on the road. During which she hadn't sent any letters home. However that was quickly remedied when Takumi had taken her to the nearby post office and was directed to the ninja couriers when Akiko had told the clerk that the letters were to go to Forest country.

The Ninja Couriers, Akiko had found, were a curious and eccentric people but they were so very kind when she had handed the letters to them. The particular ninja she had handed it to, 345-05, When the ninja she had handed the letter to had learned of where she wanted the letters to go, as well as he time frame, seemed to take it as a challenge and promptly disappeared after being paid, leaving the dust to settle around Akiko and Takumi.

"What an odd person" She comments absently, Takumi can do nothing but cough his agreement.

X

Once the month was over, Akiko moves on again passing by the market to buy the bandages she had promised herself earlier and once more added what herbs she could find in the market to her personal stash, and as she exits the public baths Akiko caught a flash of white in the corner of her eye. Looking around suspiciously but seeing nothing, she shrugged to herself and left, intent on getting out of Bird country as soon as possible. When Akiko leaves she just misses the Rice Festival by a few days but dares not stay, for her next destination was Rain country and from what she had heard around Gufu, there was still a lot of strife in the area.

X

Jiraiya watched on in contemplation as the Orange-haired woman makes her way out of Gufu. He had been caught by her doing his research, the fact that she had caught him was not what had caught his attention rather it was the recognition that had been printed clear on her face. Jiraiya knew he had a reputation among ninja as a Sannin and as a pervert, which was felt more strongly among the civilians in Konoha. However, news of who he was had not spread as far as Bird country yet. To the civilians he was simply a perverted old man and yet this civilian had recognized him. With an interested hum, Jiraiya makes a mental note to find as much information on her as possible. After he deals with the Akatsuki.

* * *

 _I'm not even sure why I had Jiraiya at the end but there he was! And the Akatsuki, I think started after the Third war and that would be around the time when Madara/Tobi got his claws into to them so I also think That would have been when they started recruiting S-rank ninjas. Akiko is about 17, Naruto is 2 years old and Kakashi is still in ANBU running black-ops missions and 16 if anyone is wondering where in the time line I'm at. Also Akiko was born before the Third war, so I think that was hinted at. So she is older than Kakashi by a year. Sorry for the long AN._

 _Anyway! So almost 2000 views, three C2s and 12 reviews! Which is awesome! Never had that many before for any of them! And the Favorites and Follows! Wow._

 _Reviews:_

 _ThatGeekyAsian: Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it! I've been trying to keep it as realistic as possible. I noticed most SI being born in a village and never really explored the rest of the Nations except when on mission so I thought why not one that wanders? Hope you enjoyed this chapter too!_

 _Alice: Thank you for reviewing, and in French! I'm glad you enjoyed the story so far! I hope you also enjoy future chapters too!_

 _xxOchibixx: Well what do you think? I do aim to please! Do enjoy the rest of the chapter when the come up!_

 _ClownWhosFeelnDown: I'm glad you think so! And thanks for reviewing!_

 _pulpo801: Thank you for the lovely review! I do like doing things differently! I'm glad, since I'm trying to keep it as real as possible with a hefty amount of common sense (I hope) and general knowledge that people know!_

 _Guest: Yes and since he is a Spy master, I'd say this wouldn't be the last we was of him!_

 _lmnlmn171: I'm glad! Thanks for leaving a review!_

 _collegegirl: I'm kinda surprised it's come this far since I hadn't intended it to but it seems to have taken a life of it's own and Voilà! Thank you! I wanted to do something different and many of the SI usually started either at the start of Naruto, the Warring period or in Konoha during the Third war. I do hope you have enjoyed this chapter!_

 _Right! So later on when I have some time, I'll give out a link to a photo of where Akiko has been so far and which chapter happens where! Until the next time, So long!_


	6. Memories in the Rain

_Yo! Here is the next chapter and It is much longer than my usual. I had EVERY intention of having Kakashi in this chapter but instead it just wrote itself. Okay a warning._

 **EDIT 1/12/2015: This story now has a beta and with this note, what you are reading is the beta'd version. All betaing has been done by bleeding-roses 16**

 _1\. There is some medical stuff in there. It is not accurate and I'm just dragging it out. I am not a doctor or anything, it is slightly researched but not at all accurate._

 _Pleas enjoy!_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, I just have this plot!_

* * *

On my way to Rain, I had kept an eye out for any rare herbs and for a good bamboo grove. I used to play the piano and a bamboo flute, since I couldn't recreate a piano the simplest thing was to make a flute and thus I started by whittling. I have to admit my whittling, at the start, was atrocious but it was better than nothing. Most of the wood I had gotten from the trees in Rain country were soaked. There was this constant fog of exhaustion that I had felt when I had crossed the border. At first it was something subtle but eventually it had gotten heavier. I must admit, even though I had realized the dangers of travelling by myself I was still very naïve about my situation and as such I had no idea how lucky I was when I had been able to walk past a bandit gang unhindered. Back then I thought my disguise was perfect.

Much of Rain was like that, rife with corruption and many were still healing from the third war. Nursing their losses and licking their wounds. But many did find their way back to stand on their own legs again and I had the privilege of giving a few smaller villages a helpful shove.

 _Excerpt from the Memoirs of Akiko Hatake nee Reko_

 _Page 56_

X

A heavy fog covered the forest as Akiko made her way through. Happily stumbling through the dark as she noticed the ache in her heart start to lessen, if only slightly. It had taken a good two months to wander from Gufu and into Rain. Akiko was often on the move from before sun rise and stopped well after sunset and once in Rain, it was becoming harder to keep track of time since the fog had blanketed everything and didn't lift at all. And it was this fog that had led her into a sticky situation just after the border. Akiko had walked through a border town that had been completely run by Bandits. She hadn't noticed it so she had continued following the dirt path, Akiko wasn't so sure of the terrain to make her own way through the area so she kept her head down and kept moving, fear was starting to build. The close she got the stronger the fear became.

There were structures that were too run down to be called houses on either side of her, lights were from the windows and there were people standing on the corners. The hair on the back of her hair stood up, and Akiko could feel the force of the stares. Struggling to keep her breathing level, Akiko could feel her limbs become heavy and her heart was pounding in her chest. She dearly hoped that it would not attract any attention from the loudness. Keeping her head low, Akiko could see someone coming from the other direction. Fear and panic was now clawing at her insides, the man passed her and grunted a greeting and Akiko nodded one of her own desperately praying that she would not be found or stopped.

Nothing happened. Akiko left the small town as peaceful as she had arrived in it. As the fear slowly drained out of her, a giddy excitement started to take its place. She had just walked through a bandit town and they probably thought she was male. She, Akiko Reko had tricked a whole bandit town. A hysterical giggle had slipped out her throat and as she continued, the pride of her success had yet to abate.

X

It was another two weeks before Akiko stumbled onto another person, specifically a child, when she was foraging for some edible plants. Said child was covered in dirt and wearing rags and it seemed they were on the floor searching for something. Akiko felt her heart clench, she had always had a weakness for children, after all in another life she had the privilege to see the growth of two generations of her own line. Slowly and deliberately, she stepped on a branch to make some noise. The child froze whipping their head in her direction, letting Akiko see that the child was a girl. Smiling softly, Akiko knelt down before her, hoping she didn't scare her away.

The girl's eyes were wide with surprise and the shadows of war and hunger, Akiko felt her heart clench from the look in those eyes. A shade of ordinary brown with pupils blown wide with equally brown hair. Akiko made slow motions to nibble on the wild radish she had found, making clear motions of chewing and swallowing before offering the rest of the plant to the child. The girl cautiously made her way closer to Akiko before snatching the radish and jumping back again like a cautious wild animal. Akiko doesn't move as she watches the young girl eat the small plant like it's the only thing she's had in days and the sad thing is that it's probably true. Softly Akiko begins to hum a song just as she did for her children and grandchildren. The little girl looks at her curiously when she heard the humming but made no motion to approach, but Akiko does nothing to indicate that she would move either, causing a small stalemate between them.

It takes three hours, a lot of patience and various methods of cajoling before the child would let Akiko be in touching range and another two before the girl lead her somewhere.

X

Akiko had been taken to what could be best described as a town in ruin. There were collapsed buildings, small towers and ramshackle houses. The streets were filled with holes from removed debris or explosions. The people there were thin and starving, many had eyes filled with a morbid sort of resignation. There were few filled with hope, those that were seemed to be moving about with nervous energy but with no real direction and attempting to clear the rubble . Akiko followed the small girl in shock as she took in her desolate surroundings. Intellectually she knew that war was a terrible thing, that it had caused death destruction but she had never seen it for herself and if this is the result of War...Akiko wanted nothing of it.

 _'These people have nothing left. Not even the hope that things could improve.'_ She thinks numbly as she is dragged along. Neither she nor the girl speak, each wrapped up in their own thoughts or concentrated on reaching a destination. They arrive at something that was, Akiko assumed, supposed to be a house. With a single-minded determination, the young girl marched forward and banged on the door like a mad woman. Akiko stared at her incredulously, as she continued to pound the door with a ferocity she hadn't even seen being used for a door. The door had opened so suddenly that it had caused Akiko to jump and for the girl to be pounding on the doorway occupant instead of the door.

"Damn it Sayuri, What the hell do you wan...Well hello there." The man stood at the door way in clothes that were covered in oil, staring at her in a way that made Akiko rather uncomfortable. He smirked his grey eyes glinting at seeing the subconscious fidgeting in her fingers. Akiko forced her hands stop fidgeting and smoothed them out on her pants, her smile polite and distant. The girl, Sayuri, tugged at the man's pants and when he looked down she held up what was left of the radish and then gestured to Akiko. The man's demeanour changed, the stress lines on his forehead becoming more visible as he straightened out slightly and his eyes too bore a more calculative look as he stared at her. Akiko held his gaze with her own flat one. She knows he won't make the first move, so she takes the leap instead.

"This place looks like it could use some help." Akiko says blandly, and feels her panic rise when she doesn't get a response. He stares at her for a long while, and Akiko can feel the urge to fidget become stronger.

"You offering to help?" He asks, dragging his words as if asking silently ' _what can you even offer?'_

Akiko grits her teeth, understanding the silent message easily.

"I am."

"So what can you do?" His lazy attitude to her was starting to work on her nerves as her panic slowly turns to anger.

"I'm a medic." She says, her tone short and clipped. The man looks stunned for a second before a shark grin replaces his lazy smirk. Akiko is taken aback by the sudden change in expression and it shows. The man across from her laughs before holding his hand out.

"I'm Mamoru and this is Iwate, once a strong hold village of Hanzo during the Third War" Akiko reaches out and grips his hand in a firm hand shake.

"Akiko, wandering traveller and medic." There is no exchange of last names, not here where it isn't needed.

X

Iwate, the name told to her by Mamoru, was slowly improving and it was also the longest time she had ever stayed in one location. Three years had passed since she first met Mamoru and Sayuri, the ache had slowly slipped her mind the more she spent in Iwate. Much of the rubble had been cleared, the holes filled in, houses were in a liveable condition, a med-clinic was up and running, a school of children was being built and instead of a sense of depression, the feeling of hope in the air was almost tangible. Akiko had made close ties with many of the residents and also had a number of students from the clinic, forcing her to remember the practices, techniques and information she had learnt as a Doctor in a life time ago. She taught them about different herbs and their properties, how to use them as a tea or a salve. She taught them what to do in an emergency and the basics of surgery and hygiene. The small town was now on its feet and strong enough to have a clinic running with the proper tools which had been forged in the third year of her stay and although it was nothing like Ame it was still a sight to see.

The people were happier than when she had first arrived, they had just started excavating the fallen towers and various bunkers that had been left by Hanzo. Akiko just gave them a little push in the right direction, giving them knowledge where needed. Despite all the successes that were achieved, the heavy losses were still felt. At the end of her third year inn Iwate, Akiko decided to leave, not quite as innocent as when she had arrived.

Before she leaves the slowly rebuilding town Akiko visits one last place, the cemetery. Walking past the head stones of familiar names she stops at one in particular.

*Sayuri*  
Died: March 4th XXXX

There is no information regarding the date of her birth, many of the flies were lost during the war. Instead it bears her death date. It's been a year since that day. Akiko had been there, she with all her knowledge of two lives had been there and was unable to save Sayuri.

XX XX

There was a sudden rumbling followed by the corridors shaking. Many medics and trainees in the hallway simply shook it off as a demolition in progress and yet as Akiko worked in her small office, explaining the new duties to the head Nurse, she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up and dread began to fill her.

There was a sudden commotion in the lobby, the siren for an emergency had been sounded. With practiced hands and swift legs, Akiko and six other staff grab seven large red duffle bags and rush out the door unhindered by the weight of them. It wasn't hard to find the site, dust clouds were billowing up from the out skirts of the village and Akiko feels dread build up in her. The site was one of the oldest of Hanzo's outpost, tall and imposing it had cast a dark shadow over the town and from what she had been told made completely of an Earth jutsu. Some of the civilians had inspected it and declared it structurally unsafe and in danger of collapsing. What had set Akiko on edge was that Sayuri seemed to have this strange need to enter the strong hold and no matter how many times Mamoru or she told the girl that it was dangerous, Sayuri would always attempt to enter. Silently Akiko prayed that the girl she saw as a sister wasn't involved at all.

The cries are what reach them first, then it is to the sight of numerous people working on top of the rubble in attempts to pull the bystanders out from under the rocks. Akiko doesn't say anything and the six other medics behind her disperse. Akiko helps the nearest man, checking him over. There is blood sliding down the side of his face but overall he seems coherent, she asks some basic question to check his memory and asks him to stand to test for dizziness in case of a concussion. She gives the green light for now and tells him to check up at the town clinic later. Akiko searches for her next patient when someone screams her name.

Her head whips to the voice and the dread that she felt before turns into lead because out of the rubble is Mamoru, covered in dust with a few scratches but that is not what terrifies her. It's the small lifeless figure in his arms that does.

Rational thought stops for a second as she runs to them, telling herself that it's not Sayuri in his arms. That it's not Sayuri, the sweet girl who doesn't speak lying limp in his arms. But the closer she gets, the clearer she see Sayuri's face. Akiko want to crumple to the floor and cry, she want to beg the gods not to take away the little girl she thought of as a baby sister. But she doesn't, Akiko forces herself to calm down because Sayuri's life is at stake and if she doesn't get it together Sayuri Will Die.

"S-she went into the c-compound and I-I I told her n-not to but she d-didn't l-listen" Mamoru stutters, sounding as broken as she felt. Akiko chokes, it had been the one place that Sayuri had always wanted to go and it was the one place that they never let her. Akiko could feel the guilt as he places her down on the ground, her eyes flutter and there is a dazed look in her eyes like she can't see them

"Sayuri, Sayuri can you hear me?" Akiko calls, forcing back her tears because if she starts crying Akiko knows she won't be able to stop. Sayuri twitches her head slightly and her eyes become focused again. Akiko holds the relief back because she has to make sure that Sayuri is out of danger, the girl coughs and it comes out **wet,** ragged **,** and worst of all red. She's breathing **,** but there is a worrying wheezing sound that comes with it. Sayuri has a tired smile on her lips and struggles to raise her arm in Akiko direction.

"Don't move, you need to save your strength so I can treat you" Akiko holds her hand and reaches for the red duffle bag but Sayuri is insistent and Akiko opens the clenched fist to release a black leather strap. Akiko grabs in with one hand and quickly puts it in her pocket. Sayuri's breathing changes to strangled gasps and Akiko's heart plummets into her stomach.

 _'Collapsed lung caused by air in the chest cavity.'_ comes the diagnosis and Akiko frantically searches her bag searching for a scalpel and a syringe. She finds both and when she turns, Sayuri is no longer breathing and her chest is still expanded. Hurriedly, Akiko lifts up her shirt and feels for the ribs, pressing down searching for the air bubble. Finding it just below her breast, Akiko makes a small incision and inserts the needless syringe but doesn't watch the air leave as she moves to the repeat the process on the other side. Sayuri still wasn't breathing, her heart had stopped.

Tears are filling her eyes as Akiko places her hand one on top of the other and performs CPR.

"1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15...Please Sayuri! Breath..26,27,28,29,30" Akiko cries but there is no response. She blows air in to the lungs, the girl's chest expands slightly. Akiko keeps going, there's still no response.

"1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17...Don't leave us! Breath...28,29,30" She knows it futile after a while because no matter how many time she does it, Sayuri is already dead. Crying openly she doesn't stop even with the knowledge.

"1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14...BREATH DAMN IT BREATH!...please just breath" Her voice breaks and her arms stop moving because there is no point. Sayuri is dead. Akiko rests her head on Sayuri's chest.

"Why Sayuri? Why couldn't you just stay away from it? Couldn't you have told us what you wanted and not gone yourself?" She asks the still form, her silent tears running down her face blur her vision. Maybe if she had tried harder, forced the point more. Had better equipment, forewarning, even Chakra damn it! Anything! Then just maybe Sayuri wouldn't have...she would be...

There is a tap on her shoulder and Akiko can feel Mamoru's had on her shoulder. She looks at him, and can see her own grief reflected back at her. They don't embrace, both of them continue to kneel silently at the Sayuri's cooling body. With a shuddering sigh she wipes away her tears and Akiko curses the inequality of villages and the power plays, she curses the lack of development in the healing field because there is nothing in this hospital that can save Sayuri. Moving sluggishly, Akiko picks her Sayuri's hand before kissing it softly because no matter how much she wants to grieve right now, not matter how much she wants to just collapse and stay with Sayuri and cry she _can't_ because there are other people in the same accident that need help. And it comes with a sudden clarity why there was that one rule Doctors weren't allowed to treat family, she had always thought that if you treat family you would have a more fierce desire to save them instead it's the opposite. Emotions get in the way and compromise decisions.

With one last mournful look, Akiko gets to her feet, forcing all feelings back, and rushes to help those still living leaving Mamoru with Sayuri.

XX XX

A clearing of a throat broke her out of her memories.

"You're leaving." It wasn't a question. Akiko says nothing already knowing who it was that was speaking. She can hear the person moving to stand beside her as they both look on the grave of their sister.

"Here, something to remember us by." Mamoru hands her a thin metal sheet. Akiko turns it delicately in her hands and finds a latch. With a quick flick of her fingers, she opens it and softly gasps. Inside are two photos, one with Sayuri, Mamoru and herself altogether laughing and the other is all the staff she had trained to be medics for the local clinic. With reverent hands Akiko gently closes it again and places it in her bag. She looks up gratefully at Mamoru before smiling softly.

"Don't forget to visit and don't lose sight of yourself." He says before leaving. Akiko moves in the opposite direction, following the road out but not before casting one last look at the grave and the small town that she had helped build. And with that Akiko puts her straw hat on and begins wandering once more following the ache that had returned with a vengeance **,** but this time it wasn't from the need to travel.

* * *

 _Right see what I mean. Please leave a review of what you think!_

 _I thank my reviewers for their encouragement and constructive criticism!_

 _Also, this is in a place where supplies are limited and there is little to no high class sterile hygiene. Here people die of infections if not treated properly. If you do, do research on the collapsed lung thing, it is fan fiction and I didn't want Akiko to be completely unscathed by death. Sure she's seen dead bodies but she hasn't had someone close to her die and in this Shinobi world, that happens whether it is to disease, war or famine, people die._

 _I wasn't sure about the compressions, whether it was 15 or 30 but when I searched it up, it said 30 fast compressions and breathing into their mouth._

 _Also regarding the chapter with Jiraiya, yes, he will be making more appearances on this fic._

 _R and R!_


	7. They Meet

_WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT! TWO CHAPTERS IN ONE DAY!_

 _Again same warning as the other, there is some medical stuff. I would also like to point out that I am no professional and that this is fan fiction and that she has limited supplies and this she is in the country side. Also there is some blood, okay maybe a fair amount._

 _Enjoy!_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, I just have this plot._

 **EDIT 1/12/2015: This story now has a beta and with this note, what you are reading is the beta'd version. All betaing has been done by bleeding-roses 16**

* * *

The Death of Sayuri was something that I will regret for years, even after coming to terms with the fact that there was little I could have done to save her. Because no matter how many angles I looked at it, no matter how many times I when through the situation in my head again, there was nothing I could do because it had already happened. It took me some time to come to this realization but come to it I did. I also realized that instead of remembering the possibilities of what I could have done, I should better remember what we did together. It was Mamoru that had caused my realization because through all my doubt and regret I had made the assumption that he hated me since I had felt that I had let Sayuri's life slip through my fingers. What a deluded fool I was. There was some resentment on his part but he had seen my moods and what my own self berating was doing.

"The punishment that you put yourself through is more than I can ever do to you, so instead of making you feel even worse. I'm going to do the opposite."

Wiser words never spoken.

When I had first met Sayuri, I had made the mistake of thinking of her as an orphan child scavenging for food when the actual fact was that she chose to live like that. Rather than come back to an empty home, she chose the forest which were always bustling with life. But after bunking with Mamoru for the first few months, Sayuri began to stay at the home more and more often until she had her own room. That was about the time I had noticed that the Ache in my heart had become a lot less and I often wondered what that had meant, I had wondered if I had found what I was searching for but after Sayuri's death I knew it wasn't. But for some reason even a year after her death, the ache was dull until the last few weeks, it had become unbearable once more. I had left but promises were made to send letters and to visit.

 _Excerpt from the Memoirs of Akiko Hatake nee Reko_

 _Page 106_

X

It had taken a month of steady travelling from Iwate to reach the borders of the Land of Fire. A month of steady travelling and dodging various bandits and gangs. Night had started to fall but instead of setting up camp, Akiko wanted to make it over the border as soon as possible. Rain country wasn't known for being safe for women, especially during the night.

X

Akiko stopped as she heard the sound of clashing metal. It hadn't been the first time since she had nearly stumbled on a battle scene, usually she would detour or wait until the battle was over before providing a burial but this one felt different. Something told her to move closer and when the sounds stopped, a new urgency became apparent. She make her way over there quickly and suddenly yelped, falling backwards in fright as someone dropped from the trees holding a kunai in a ready throw position. From what she could see, he was a brown haired male with a cross scar on the right side of his face and he was staring at her with a frightening amount of intensity. Akiko was jolted out of her shock when the man suddenly collapsed face forwards, she rushed to him because shinobi or not they were people and people get injured. When she had turned the man over, there was another face greeting her. Silver hair and a vertical scar down his left eye. There was a faint nudging sensation in the back of her mind like she should recognize him but Akiko forced it away and turned her attention to the blood that was spill out at an alarming rate from his right inner thigh.

 _'This amount of blood and from a leg, it's definitely a severed femoral artery.'_ comes the diagnosis and Akiko cursed under her breath before swiftly reaching into her small pack and pulled out a gauze that she had stocked in Rain, and pressed it to the wound. Another swift movement and Akiko takes a roll of bandages and ties it as tightly as she dares to stem the bleeding and not cut off circulation. She knows she has some medical wire and only a small amount of dissolve-able as well, but here is not the best place to operate. Akiko remembers the map that Mamoru had insisted she carry and quickly pulls it out, silently thanking him for his foresight, easily finding her position and notes that there is a road side tea house not far.

 _'It'll have to do. Any further and I don't think he would make it'_ Akiko stuffs the map in her travel bag before hefting the man over her shoulders piggy back style, silently thankful for the rigorous work and heavy lifting she did in Rain. With the man on her back, she starts in a jog careful not to jostle him too much and increase the bleeding but with enough speed to carry her quickly.

X

As Akiko jogs to her destination, her desperation lending her strength and she is unaware that the man on her back rouses.

X

Kakashi can feel someone carrying him, he knows that whoever it is, they're jogging. He feels weak and light headed, his limbs are like lead. Kakashi struggles to open his eye and only manages a small squint. A dark hue of orange is what he sees. A quick inhalation of the air, and the smell of forest, sweat and dust after rain along with something else he doesn't recognize rushes into his nose.

 _'This smells nice, familiar._ ' he thinks, mind numb. It is to this that Kakashi loses the battle with the dark and gladly falls into unconsciousness.

X

It's daybreak and Akiko can just see the tea house in sight. There is an old woman opening up shop and there are already a few customers. They see her coming and a lady she hadn't see, gasps when she comes closer. Breathless she asks for their help.

"Please, can you help me?" she pleads. For some reason the man on her back feels so very important to her and she can't understand why. The old lady is kind and sharp because instead of saying anything she merely herds Akiko inside and quickly clears an empty table. One of the men, blond hair and green eyes she notes absently, hurriedly takes him off her shoulder and gently places him on the table.

 _'Handsome...'_ With a clear view of his face, Akiko can't help the stray thought of his looks but quickly shakes her head to be rid of it. The old lady seems to recognize him from the way she stiffens, which is good. Akiko turns to her.

"Could I have a bowl of hot water please?" she asks briskly, ignoring the indignant look on the young woman because the old lady understands the gravity of the situation and seems to already know what she is going to do and Akiko doesn't have the time nor the energy to waste arguing with the woman when her patient is dying. She was determined not to lose another one.

"Could I also have some towels please!" she calls out after the Old Lady before turning her attention to the silver haired man. The bandage is soaked through and Akiko can feel the blood that has seeped into her clothes. Moving to another table, Akiko unceremoniously empties her pack and quickly snatches a small satchel that she had nicked from the clinic as a precaution. Moving back, Akiko uses her own knife to slice off the bandages and the leg of the loose pants revealing toned muscles. She doesn't blink, focusing on the blood leaving the thin slice of the leg at an alarming rate, Akiko curses once more.

A bowl is placed before her and Akiko quickly submerges her hands in the boiling water as a reckless measure of sterilizing them, she knows that there will be burns on it later but that's when she'll worry about it, later. Then she dumps the medical wire and a few clips in and quickly fishes them out. Akiko looks up at the gob smacked face of the only customer insight; she knows this is stretching it.

"Could you please hold him down? He may start trashing." she asks because there isn't enough time to grind the Hops that she had collected to give the man to drink in-case he did wake. The blond haired man steps forward and places his hands on the unconscious one's shoulders, Akiko can feel a minute twitch in the muscle but she focuses intently on the leg wound. Taking her scalpel, she widens the vertical incision were whatever had cut the leg made, making it large enough to hold open with her fingers. Grimacing at the lack of gloves, Akiko quickly locates the bleeding artery.

"Pins." she calls out with her free hand open waiting to receive said objects when she remembers that these people aren't trained like she was and don't really know what she is doing. And as her hand is about to turn over the grab the pins, someone places them in her hands. She forces herself not to look up in surprise and turns her attention to the artery because every second counts. The blood is already spilling over on to the table and Akiko can hear someone gagging in the background. Having one clip in each hand, Akiko places above and below the area where blood is gushing out prevent further blood flow. She knows she need to work fast otherwise the pressure would build up and another part of the artery would burst thus making her work here void and the chance death of this person that much higher.

"Suture with thread." she calls, hand at the ready again. Akiko is not disappointed as the objects are once again placed in her hands. With the blood stopped, she can see the small cut in the thick muscular tube. It isn't as big as she had feared but still large enough for the patient to have bled out without assistance. The nick is what it is, a nick at about three millimetres wide and takes four fine stitches to close the hole. Once that was taken care of, Akiko soaks the rest of her gauze in the recently cooled water and gently wipes out the cut in order to remove the excess blood and what else had snuck its way in and at the same time removing the pins above and below the cut. The artery inflates with the flow of blood and there is little to no leakage. With a satisfied nod she removes her larger wound on the surface of the skin took a total of 23 stitches of normal wire which she would have to remove in three days. The wire on the artery should dissolve after a week, hopefully by then the artery would have healed

By the time Akiko is done, she collapses on the bench of a nearby table, releasing a bone weary sigh feeling drained of all energy. It had been a long time since she had performed such a demanding surgery and with the limited amount of tools no less. Gathering herself together, Akiko re-enters the world again.

The tea shop has been closed and the blond haired man is washing his hands in a nearby bowl with a faint green tinge to his face which only gets stronger every time he glanced at the man or the blood on his hands. Getting out of her seat, Akiko bows to the man in gratitude because even though he held down a man who didn't do so much as twitch she is still thankful that he was there.

"Thank you" When Akiko looks at him again, she notes with some irrational hurt that he is avoiding looking at her.

"You're...uh...Welcome" He clears his throat awkwardly and that is when Akiko realizes that she is probably covered in blood. She offers a tight smile and moves away from him and back to the patient. She checks on the stitches before sitting down again, attempting to keep a calm presence of mind. Her attention is caught by the old lady as she re-enters the shop from what Akiko assumes is the kitchen, this gives her ample time to study her. Her hair, which had greyed with age, was held in a tight bun with no stray strands. And her dress was that of a green short shirt kimono matched with a blue skirt. Her eyes were sharp with intelligence and held the edge of experience and when the Lady's eyes drifted over Akiko, she suddenly felt like a small bug under a very intense microscope. This caused her to fidget in her seat and a warm smile crossed the older woman's face.

"You and your companion are welcome to stay in the guest room upstairs." The old woman tells her kindly and Akiko is shocked to be offered such generosity. People, Akiko has learnt, that are that nice usually had a reason for it but she wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. With a muted nod and a bow of thanks, Akiko turns to the man and once again hefts in up but instead of having him ride piggy back, she carries him bridle style. Akiko examines the room and quickly notes the stairs to the left and hurries up them, blushing as she goes.

"It's the second room to the left dear!" The woman's voice echoes behind her and Akiko can feel her blush intensify as she makes her way down the corridor and to the room.

Finding the door, Akiko shifts the man to open the door and quickly sets him down on the bed. Rearranging his position so that he was under the covers and with an extra pillow she had found in a cupboard, that was place under his leg to keep it raised as to allow the artery and the wound itself to heal better. Finally, Akiko stopped and properly took a look at the man she had saved, someone she had met in the dark and carried on her back. Silver hair with a vertical scar over his left eye. Something clicks in her mind and Akiko reels back as the realization she had ignored before takes the opportunity to smack her in the face. The man she had just saved, did a rough operation on and just carried bridle style was none other than Kakashi Hatake.

* * *

 _THERE IS KAKASHI! HAHA! She met him first!_

 _So the femoral artery is about 8mm under the skin in the inner thigh on both legs. If it is severed on an angle then, you will bleed out and because the blood loss is a large amount and very sudden you loose consciousness in 30 seconds. That is why Kakashi has collapsed. The artery it self is pretty large and can be stitched up. If it is a cut on the artery not through it, you can just stitch up the cut but if it is too big, the doctors do a graft instead using part of another vein (think). This is where I point out that Ninja with super awesome chakra abilities or not, he is still human and is therefore affected by human weakness like blood loss._

 _Said blood loss is why he couldn't wake up during the impromptu surgery on the old woman's table. Why the old woman let it happen will be explained in the next chapter._

 _ALSO...I have exams coming up which will be running until the 27th of Oct in Aus so I won't be updating until the 28th. That doesn't mean that I won't be writing it just means that I won't be updating. Hence the two chapter present!_

 _And Hops is a herb which acts as a natural sedative and as a relaxer_

 _R and R!_


	8. An Old Lady and a Fever

_My Absolute apologies for being late in the update! Thank you for you patience and thanks to all my lovely readers and reviews! Also thanks to the reviewers that wished me luck on my exams, which I think I did well on._

 _Anyway! Here is the next installment of The Wandering Woman! Enjoy!_

 **EDIT 1/12/2015: This story now has a beta and with this note, what you are reading is the beta'd version. All betaing has been done by bleeding-roses 16**

* * *

Meeting Kakashi was an experience, to say the least, it was completely unexpected. I never wanted to engage with any of the characters minor, major or otherwise. I hadn't seen the series for a long time but what I could remember was that everything turned out alright in the end and I had no intention of changing that. All I wanted to do was find the cause of my ache and wander. But meeting Kakashi, or rather finding Kakashi, threw a wrench in my plans. But I always knew from the start that nothing would ever go to plan after all, "No battle plan ever survives first contact with the enemy"(1).

And to be honest, there was no actual meeting until a few months later, since in the first one he was pretty out of it, there were many very close calls, bumps and almost's. At the time I was caught between frustration and relief because whenever we almost met I was pulled between the emotions of being glad that I had missed him, disappointment that he hadn't recognized me and later, when I had found out that we passed in the same towns, a longing to see him. Such years were a trying time with the ache increasing in intensity after every encounter.

 _Excerpt from the Memoirs of Akiko Hatake nee Reko_

 _Page 119_

x

Akiko stared at the man in stunned silence, jaw slack in disbelief. Closing her eyes, Akiko counted backwards from ten before releasing a shuddering sigh after clamping down on the half hysterical laughter that had threatened to break free. She had not counted on this at all. Reopening them once more, Akiko took another look at the man her eyes roaming over his form and forcing them not to linger on his face but down to his chest wounds. There were various other cuts in his clothing and there were stained in red, indicating an open wound just beneath the fabric. Releasing one more sigh, she moves out of the room and makes her way down stairs intent on getting the healing salve that she had created, from her bag.

Walking in a semi-daze, not completely aware of her surroundings, Akiko made her way down the stairs and entered the tea room. The young woman from earlier is there but there is nothing pleasant about her, her nose is upturned and there is contempt in what could have been considered gentle brown eyes. While the woman didn't say anything aloud, Akiko knew that she was not welcomed into this establishment by her. Straightening her back, Akiko walked in with her face in a neutral expression because whether she liked it or not, this woman is attached to the place that gave her the chance to save Kakashi and it is for that alone that Akiko will give her the barest amount of her respect. Most of it, however, goes to the old lady that had assisted her during Kakashi's surgery.

With a curt nod, Akiko snatches her bag, acutely aware that the woman was close enough to snatch her bag or rummage through it and steal something just out of spite. It's not something that Akiko would put past her and even if she is, just judging by appearance she trusts her instincts and feelings more. Hurriedly she makes her way up the stairs again, feeling the burning stare of the woman.

Kakashi hasn't moved, he hasn't even twitched since she left, that she is sure of. Even so, there is still the sense of pooling apprehension in her actions. Akiko removes the covers over his chest and has her knife out with the intent to cut a line through the man's clothes from the hem to the arm pits just to make her life easier because that would be much better than bunching it up close to... _his_ face. Or neck. But Akiko is wary, she heard of the skill of ninjas have, seen the damage they can cause to each other, she had even watched Kakashi battle on screen.

Even though he was unconscious, there was still a faint chance that he could react on instinct alone. Taking a deep breath, Akiko moves slowly cutting his shirt as slowly as she could making no sudden movements lest Kakashi reacts with violence. She doesn't have to do much since most of his shirt has been crisscrossed with slices and narrow cuts of various sharp blades and it comes of easily enough. Akiko knows that he will need a replacement and she does have a shirt that doesn't quite fit her since it is about three sizes too big.

Once the shirt has been removed and his chest and injuries were exposed, Akiko can't quite stop the blush that has placed itself on her cheeks as she takes in Kakashi's semi naked form. His form is well defined with his muscles, especially his pectorals and the abs that can be seen clearly has her blushing like a school girl that she hasn't been in years. Shifting her focus from his looks to the various wound littering his chest, Akiko takes in the lacerations he had accumulated. Many of them are already crusted over with dried blood and others are still leaking the red liquid. Her salve seems unnecessary but she can at least wipe away the blood. Moving away from Kakashi again and to her bag, Akiko takes out her water skin and uses a single roll of bandage, dampening it with water to wipe away the remaining blood.

Akiko pulls up the covers once more on to his prone body before falling into the chair, feeling the exhaustion catching up to her. Releasing a heavy sigh, her eyes turn toward the small window. Sunlight filtered through the glass in rays, illuminating the playing particles of dust as they float in the air. The light shines on Kakashi and Akiko watches as his chest slowly rises and falls, assuring her that he is alive, not only that but it's picturesque with Kakashi sleeping peacefully.

Closing her eyes, she begins to hum one of the few songs her grandchildren had badgered her to learn to fill the silence.

X

As Akiko's steady humming fills the room, the muscles that were once tense relaxed and the foreign lullaby followed Kakashi into his dreams as he completely relaxed.

X

Akiko awakened with a start, unaware that she had fallen asleep. She spares a quick glance at the window, quietly questioning how much time had passed. Sun light is still visible but she isn't sure whether it is morning or early in the afternoon. Her gaze follows the sun beams and lands on her patient.

Though it appears that he hasn't moved, there was something different about him. Different from yesterday at least. Peering closer at the man, a sheen of sweat on his forehead catches her eye and Akiko's eyes widen in alarm. She hurriedly reaches out to place her hand on his forehead to check his temperature to confirm her suspicions.

A hand grips her wrist in mid-movement, squeezing almost painfully. She gasps and her eyes flicker to his face in shock. It should be impossible for him to awaken from the sudden blood loss, it should have taken him a week at most!

But his eyes are closed, he wasn't awake.

Akiko stares at Kakashi, by his sudden reaction and his lack of consciousness she could only assume that it had been his shinobi instincts at work, and they were certainly something else.

She gently tugs against the grip but his arm doesn't move and his hand doesn't give. If anything the grip tightens slightly. Akiko nibbles at her at her lip in consideration of her next move.

"Um...Sir? Can you let go of my hand?" she asks softly. Akiko doesn't say his name, a name she isn't supposed to know and one that could get her into trouble especially knowing the old woman downstairs knows who he is.

Akiko notes curiously that when she spoke, the grip on her arm loosened slightly. Absently staring at the offending appendage, she hums at the peculiarity of the act. Her eyebrow raises in surprise as the grip loosens a little bit more, not enough to remove her arm but it does give her an idea.

She hums a note again as an experiment to confirm the theory developing in her head and observed, rather surprisingly, that the arm relaxes next but his unconscious grip does not falter. This giving her enough credibility for her theory, Akiko hums the same tune she had before she had fallen asleep and watches in fascination and slight awe as the grip slackens and his arm and body relaxes completely.

Still humming, Akiko slowly reaches over to touch his forehead and feels it being alarmingly warm. Bringing it against her own forehead confirms her fears. Fever, one of the symptoms of infection. Something she dearly hopes it isn't.

Pulling back the covers slowly, examines the stitched wound and finds that there is nothing wrong with it. Still stitched but healing. Moving further up to his chest, Akiko catches sight of three of the wounds oozing sickly yellow puss. She stares at the wounds in shock before cursing in the confines of her mind in order to remain humming. She had done this; her negligence had caused three wounds to become infected. Akiko is certain that her exhaustion played a part in this, but she makes no excuse. This was her fault.

Pulling away at a slow pace, leaving the wounds exposed. Once out of range of the injured man, Akiko rushes to her bag. Plunging a hand into the bag, searching for a few of the salves she had made in rain. There are a multitude of medicinal bottles and salves surrounding her bag, most likely as a gift or aid from the old lady down stairs, but since she didn't make them, she doesn't know what they contain and thus doesn't trust them with Kakashi, her patient.

Her hand wraps around two small containers at the same time and pulls them out. Holding them in one hand, she dives back in to retrieve the fresh bandages. Once each are in hand, Akiko moves back to Kakashi. Her water skin is still on the small bedside table, placing the objects in her hand on the same table, Akiko rips a small section of the bandage, a piece big enough to wipe away the puss. With practiced hands, she cleans the wounds, wiping away the puss and gently scraping off the dried blood from the other wounds. Moving quickly she takes a generous amount of the each salve and slowly mixes it in the palm of her hand before applying it to each wound.

Once applied to all the wounds rather than the three that were infected. Akiko wraps the bandages over his chest, struggling somewhat with going around Kakashi's back and his...weight.

Stepping back and giving the man a once over, worry for Kakashi takes hold. She knows that in this day and age, there are no antibiotics for small time towns like Iwate and since she is far away from the Leaf village and doesn't know how to contact them all she can do is wait. Wait patiently and hope that the ninja's own immune system can fight against the infection.

Akiko leaves the room, anxiety still very present in her heart, intent on distracting herself by thanking the old woman for her help.

X

The small tea shop is quiet but not empty. There is one person that she assumes is a customer as she had not seen them during the morning of activity.

It's the old woman who sees her first.

"So, You're up now are you?" The lady asks with glee, the smile and humour evident in her voice.

"I am. Thank you for housing me and my patient at such short notice" Akiko thanks the woman, smiling as she did so.

"Oh! Nothing to it, nothing to it. How is the young man?" She asks curiously. Akiko moves closer to the face of the old woman in the kitchen intent of having the conversation away from prying eyes and wagging ears.

"He's running a fever at the moment but I have applied some salve to his wounds to give him a helping hand." She says quietly to the woman. The old lady pulls back slightly, giving Akiko a peculiar look before speaking again.

"Good, good. If you need anything just ask. Someone so young should be allowed to live a long life." The old lady murmurs to Akiko whom nods in solemn agreeance.

"If it's too much to ask, could I please have a hot pot of water and a cup?" Akiko requests.

"It's not trouble. Just you wait here, I'll be right back." The woman hobbles back into the kitchen, the sounds of bubbling water and clangs of ceramic floating out behind her.

"I wouldn't bother if I were you." A snide voice comes from directly behind her. Akiko clenches her jaw, very familiar with that particular tone having heard it many times before.

"You're just unable to even use chakra to heal a wound. And you call yourself a 'medic'." Akiko could practically hear the quotation marks. She doesn't turn around because she knows it's the woman from earlier, doesn't grant her the satisfaction.

"I didn't call myself anything, that's all you and I don't _need_ chakra to save lives. Completely relying on it would only serve as a handicap should you ever run out." Akiko speaks calmly, knowing that her words would rip past the guise of the accusation of her medic status.

"You ridicule me on my non-usage of chakra and yet, I doubt that you are even capable of using it yourself. Next time, don't use trivial reasons to even attempt to disguise your jealously. I don't know what you are jealous of and I don't care." Akiko can feel the woman behind her burn with humiliation at her pathetic attempt to rile her up. She can already guess the reason for the woman's jealously. Kakashi and Akiko's role in saving his life and perhaps even seeing his face.

Be it coincidence or the favour of the gods, the old lady choose this moment to return from the kitchen with the requested items. And from the look on her face, there is little doubt that the old lady heard everything. There is the sound of rushing air from behind her and the sound of footsteps that are harder than needed on the wood moving away from Akiko.

"Thank you very much." Akiko thanks with a genuine smile and gratitude.

"It's not a problem my dear. None at all." There is a motherly tone in her voice that reminds Akiko of her own mother, someone she hasn't seen for almost five years. Of course there had been some correspondence during her time in Rain but it doesn't change the fact that she was miles and kilometres away from her family.

"I was also wondering what your name was." Akiko admits sheepishly with a shy curl of her lips. The old woman laughs softly, seemingly amused by the entire situation.

"I was wondering when you would ask. I am Eiko and you've met my granddaughter, Fumiko." Eiko introduces with the laugh still present in her voice and a glint of mischief in her eyes.

"I'm Akiko, It is really nice to meet you and your granddaughter." Akiko returns politely, internally glad to put a name to the face. Eiko snort at Akiko's reply.

"I highly doubt that. Fumiko can be a right handful, and that's on the best of days." Akiko winces in silent sympathy.

"Now, off you go, or that water will be going cold!" Eiko shooed Akiko away and the orange haired woman turned and made off with a smile.

' _Eiko huh. Now she is interesting.'_ Akiko muses silently as she makes her way up the stairs and to the simple wooden door.

X

When Akiko enters the room, Kakashi is still out of it. After a cursory glance at the man, she puts down the pot and the cup before once again rummaging through her travel bag.

She can feel the folded cloths she had used to store the various herbs that she had collected on her travels. Akiko opens them carefully, looking for the bark of a white willow which has the properties for both reducing pain and reducing the fever that Kakashi has.

Akiko found it but not before opening six other of the fabric herbal packages, and swears to herself that she will label them next time. Taking one good sized, but small piece of bark, she breaks it carefully into about ten to half a dozen pieces attempting to be as accurate as she could.

The water is easy, still hot from the boiler down stairs and the heat combined with the bark changes the clear water in the tea cup to a beautiful red, akin to that of raspberry jam. Akiko only fills the cup with hot water to the halfway point; she added cold water for the other half keeping the water in a drinkable temperature.

Absently humming to herself again, Akiko looks to Kakashi to see that he is still breathing and is still alive.

His chest rises and falls but that's not what catches her attention. It's the fact that Kakashi has his eye open.

* * *

 _So What did you think? It's mid-night here and I apologize for any spelling and grammatical errors. If you see any, please let me know and I will fix it as soon as possible!_

 _(1) - Helmuth Von Moltke The Elder [Yes I used a known quote!]_

 _And Yes, 'agreeance' is an actual word, just not one that has been used in a long time._

 _White Willow is an actual herbal remedy that can be used for the reducing of fevers and to reduce the pain. The method I described is half true and half mix and match so if you want you can research the real thing. I just modified it for the sake to the plot._

 _Also future updates maybe a bit slower as there is now only one computer between my mum and me. So it's pretty much a battle for the computer._

 _So please let me know what you think and review!_


	9. Fever Dreams and Preparations

_Hello! This is chapter 9 Of The Wandering Woman, I hope you do enjoy and I thank the reviews for their feed back and lovely thoughts._

 _Also, there will be the mixing of herbal remedies in this chappie and I don't actually know if they would work in conjunction with each other. As mentioned in a previous chapter, Hop is a sedative and White willow is a pain reliever and fever reducer. Also know that Kakashi is suffering infection, so please be gentle with me! I am no professional, I just do a small amount of research and manipulate the information for my needs._

 _Please enjoy!_

 **EDIT 1/12/2015: This story now has a beta and with this note, what you are reading is the beta'd version. All betaing has been done by bleeding-roses 16**

* * *

Akiko stares at the open eye in disbelief, either his immune system is insanely strong or his shinobi instincts were more powerful than she thought, because he just _can't_ be awake.

Placing the water skin down, Akiko cautiously made her way to Kakashi. Making no sudden movements, she can just see faint shifts of the blanket as the muscles beneath them twitch with her approach. Arriving by his head, she stares at the single grey eye and seeing it causes her to bite her lip in silent pain.

Kakashi is awake but his eye is unseeing and unfocused and as it began to move, Akiko knew with a startling clarity that he was seeing something that she couldn't. And from the pained expression on his face, she can guess it's a painful memory.

"O..Obi...N...o..." Akiko clenches her jaw at the broken words and the anguished tone in his voice because now she knows what he is seeing. Even though it had been years since she had seen 'Naruto', there were some scenes that she couldn't help but remember.

Akiko knows that he is seeing the death of his best friend, Obito, the bright eyed Uchiha with a heart of gold and she knows that his wounds are still raw from losing Rin and Minato. Him, stuck in these fever induced illusions was not something that would be healthy for his mind or his emotional state once he recovered.

She carefully maked her way back to the tea cup that she had just set aside and once more goes through her herbs, searching for a sedative.

"...S...rry...C..n't...tect...R-r...in..." Akiko can feel her heart tighten in pain from the apology to a dead man and the confession of his self-claimed crimes because she had seen what happened and none of it was his fault. She quickens her search to put them both out of agony because even if she hadn't been there and experienced it, the pain in Kakashi's voice invokes a strong emphatic reaction from her and it reminds her of Sayuri's death.

She finds the correct one with ease and opens it quickly. Taking four small triangular shaped leaves, she drops them into the tea cup. Grabbing a single stick of cinnamon, Akiko stirs the herbal remedy that she had created. Resting the cinnamon stick on a spare section of cloth from the open package, Akiko takes the cup to Kakashi.

His eye is still swivelling, glassy with unshed tears and enough pain to make her own eyes well up.

Gently placing the cup down, Akiko steadily reaches towards Kakashi to elevate him so that he can drink the tea. His head snaps to towards her and his muscles tense, ready for an attack. Akiko stops, realizing that she had stopped humming. One calming breath and she begins again and Akiko watches as he relaxes, still caught up in the sight only he could see.

Snaking one arm to the furthest shoulder away from her, Akiko gently lifts Kakashi's body and feels a small sense of relief when he didn't react to the contact. With one hand on his shoulder the other reaches of the tea where all the leaves and bark have sunk to the bottom.

Gently pressing the cup to his lips, Akiko watches as his eye pins her in an intense stare, the other remains closed on instinct. Tipping it, some of the water dribbles from the corners of his lips but most of it Kakashi drinks. When the cup is nearly empty, she pulls it away again and sets it on the table once more.

Turning back to the man, Akiko gently rests his head back on the pillow before releasing him. And as she moves to get up, her wrist is once again caught in an unexpected grip. Looking back at Kakashi, Akiko stoped her futile attempt to pull her arm free when she catches his silent pleading look asking her to stay and Akiko isn't sure if he is seeing her or if he's seeing Rin.

Somehow, the thought that he sees Rin hurts.

Releasing a soft sigh, Akiko sits back down on the small wooden stool and continues to hum with Kakashi not letting go of her wrist. She can see him relax slightly because she wasn't moving away but staying with him. Nor does Kakashi look away, his gaze no longer pleading but focused just above her face.

There is a soft tugging from Kakashi as he attempts to pull her closer. With a furrowed brow, Akiko scoots forward and leans closer to him when the tugging doesn't stop.

Suddenly her wrist is released and a hand shoots past her ear and for a second, Akiko thought that he would attempt to kill her but her worries are dissipated when Kakashi's hand breaks the fragile twine used to keep her hair up and it tumbles down her shoulder.

Akiko, frozen in shock, watches mutely as Kakashi tangles his hand in her hair and grabs it. His eye still hazy and still delirious.

"...pretty..." he mumbles, his gaze fixed on her hair.

Soon after, Akiko can see him slipping off to sleep with his eye lid becoming heavy and the grip relaxing. When he falls asleep, his hand is still holding her hair and she doesn't fight the soft smile as she gently untangles his fingers before placing his arm back on the bed.

Keeping the soft smile, Akiko quietly moves away from his bed side and back to the small table containing her bag and the various salves and medicinal herbs. Gently re-wrapping her cloth packs, she packs them away again but not before leaving another piece of white Willow bark for future use should Kakashi wake again.

Though she had been curious about the various characters of Naruto, she didn't intend to be around when Kakashi would next regain both consciousness and coherent thought for she did not wish to be remembered, nor found.

Forcing her thoughts to take a different turn, Akiko examines the various salves that had been, most likely left by the old woman. They were made of various herbs, some that she recognized and others she hadn't. Separating them into two piles, Akiko makes the mental note that the next time she comes across Eiko, she will ask about the salves.

' _Perhaps,_ ' Akiko thinks to herself as she removes a set of spare clothes from her bag, _'I will create a store house of medicinal herbs and should anyone ever need it, they will be available for use. But perhaps once I find my ache, this could come to fruition.'_

Casting another glance at the man lying still on the bed, a peaceful expression once more on his face, Akiko moves to the door feeling a small sense of relief that his sleep will be undisturbed by his past regrets.

X

Akiko ambled into the quiet shop, but finding it empty she leaves a note for Eiko in the doorway of the kitchen with the small brush and a serviette left abandoned on one of the tables.

She leaves through a back door and stops to listen. Slowly Akiko becomes aware of all the noise around her.

There is the sound of the wind rushing though the tree leaves, rustling them. The birds sing and their wings slapping against each other reach her ears. There is the faint sound of bells mingling with the wind and Akiko knows it is one of the birds that has flown away. The insects make their own unique sounds, varied and many, each in its own language. And quietly under all this, there is the sound of rushing water, of a stream flowing.

Akiko follows her ears, making her way to the water that she heard.

X

The closer she gets, the louder the sound of running water becomes.

Akiko arrives at a clearing, a small area that appears to have been cleared by human hands but that does nothing to dull the beauty.

The sunlight glistens on the water and it flows, the light is reflected like diamonds on snow. The trees are as green as those in Forest country in the spring. With bird song in the air, it reminds her more than ever how long it has been since she had been with her family.

She stands there in silence taking it all in, this peace and calm, the stillness and certainty.

Suddenly a bird shoots by her ear, causing Akiko to jerk away from it. She blinks before shaking her head and continues her way to the stream. Placing her one of her sets of dry clothes on a conveniently positioned rock, Akiko strips out of her blood crusted clothes until she is only in her under garments.

The water is warm, something rare when bathing in streams. Walking calmly in, Akiko dunks her head under the water letting the current stream it's many fingers through her hair and clean it of some of the dirt she could not reach.

The blood comes of easy from her skin as the water simply washes it away however it is the shirt that causes the most grief as when the blood dried, some of it had been absorbed by the fabric itself. Much of the deep red had faded to a light pink by the time she had given up scrubbing.

Setting her wet clothes on the same rock as her dry ones, Akiko spends longer in the water. Clearing her mind and leaving it blank and open for the sense of peace that envelops her almost immediately.

But Kakashi invades her thoughts soon afterwards. Akiko knows that he is still haunted by his demons and the ghosts of his past but what she wonders is if anyone knows the extent? She wonders if there is anyone to help him, she wonders if Kakashi would even accept the help offered or would refuse the help in some miss-guided form of penance?

Releasing a weary sigh at the heaviness of her thoughts, Akiko makes her way out of the stream. Absently noting that her fingers have become wrinkly from her time in the water.

The sun is still high in the sky and Akiko has no worries of arriving on time. She had left Eiko a note about her whereabouts and Kakashi would still be asleep utill tomorrow with the amount of tea mixed with Hops and Willow bark she had given him.

As Akiko makes the short trek back to the tea shop and her hair dries under the sun, her stomach decides that is time to remind her that she hadn't eaten since, what was most likely, yesterday afternoon.

The sounds of laughter reach her first, when she arrives at the back door of the Tea house she opens it as quietly as she can. The sight that greets her only lowers her personal opinion of Fumiko.

Fumiko is dressed beautifully, that Akiko will admit. Her black hair and pale skin are a splendid contrast to each other. The high cheek bones she has only highlights her eyes. Though Fumiko is a beautiful woman, she is plastering herself at the arms of two men.

Both middle-aged with browned skin and wrinkled hands from being under the sun for so long. Laughing loudly with the smell of alcohol burning her nose, Akiko could see their wandering hands on Fumiko, who seems to pay no mind to them, and the lust in their eyes. Something that makes Akiko uncomfortable.

' _Most likely farmers or travellers.'_ Akiko observes with an objective mind.

Akiko can see the moment that Fumiko notices her, from the way she lifts her head slightly higher, her voice and tongue say exaggerated praise and her arms widen as if to say _'Look here, I have these men at my fingertips. Who do you have?'_

Akiko snorts and moves away from the scene and makes her way back upstairs.

 _'I don't need men to make me feel needed._ ' she answers the silent challenge both in her head and with her actions.

X

Akiko places the clothes with a slightly wet slop on the edges of the table, letting them dry. The air in the room feels warm but not yet stuffy and with no intention of letting it become so, she moves to the window and opens it a crack. Letting the fresh air flow in but muffling the sounds of downstairs as much as possible.

She feels his temperature and notes that it is higher than before. Akiko knows that in order for Kakashi to get better, his fever needs to break. Something that would not be pleasant for either of them. During that period, Akiko isn't sure if he will suffer hallucinations or flash backs from his past, but there is a forbidding feeling that lingers in the back of her mind telling her that it will hurt.

Her stomach growls again and Akiko feels the pain of hunger again, walking long steps to her bag, she fishes out a small sack of nuts gathered off various trees and plants as well as markets.

Chewing absently, Akiko's thoughts turn to the coming two days and the items she will need to break the fever and for Kakashi to survive. She would need cold water, multiple wash clothes, cups for Kakashi to drink and maybe some rope to keep him restrained in case of a...violent reaction.

In this day and age, technology and medical supplies are limited to hidden villages or large towns. For small villages and out, in the middle of nowhere pits stops like this tea shop, there was little chance of someone surviving an infection.

Rubbing her face in fatigue, Akiko places the nut bag down and opens the door. Taking a deep breath, she steels her intent and walks with determined steps to brave the useless and frivolous actions of Fumiko and she hopes to evade the potentially grabby hands of the two men.

* * *

 _And that is the end of chapter 9! It's a bit shorter than the last one but it works._

 _Please let me know your thought and keep in mind that this is completely unbeta'd!_

 _I hope you enjoyed it!_


	10. A Fever Breaks and A Scar to Remember By

_Hello all! I apologize for longer than usual wait. I had a few personal things to take care of._

 **EDIT 1/12/2015: This story now has a beta and with this note, what you are reading is the beta'd version. All betaing has been done by bleeding-roses 16**

 _I hope you do enjoy this chapter! It is longer than usual as a apology._

* * *

The room downstairs is loud with drunken laughter and hazy with found Eiko standing by the door of the kitchen muttering to herself, obviously not happy with the situation at hand. It's understandable why, this is a tea house not a tavern, and from what Akiko suspects, this has happened before.

Akiko stands in the doorway, watching the movements of the two men who seem to be chasing Fumiko around the tables. Fumiko herself, seems to having fun if her tinkling laughter is to tell. With a slight shake of the head, Akiko moves cautiously to Eiko and successfully avoiding the notice of the men. But not Fumiko.

Eiko sees Akiko coming and quickly beckons her come and vanishes into the kitchen just moments before Akiko arrives and follows smoothly behind.

"That girl! Always inviting trouble! Next thing you know, when I die she'll turn this place into a common bar!" Eiko begins immediately, being silent for so long would only have made those thoughts fester.

"Generations of my family, this place being passed down from mother to daughter and from father to son! And it'll all end with her!

"I should have never have had her leave to the nearby town for her schooling! Should have done it myself!"

Akiko blinks, taken off guard by the woman's words and their personal intensity. For her to have said such things, Eiko must consider her in some regard.

"Now Dear, what is it you wanted me for?" She asks, her eyes staring kindly at Akiko. Akiko is blind sighted for a moment before regaining her composure.

"...My patient's fever is getting higher and I fear that the only way he will recover is to break it." Akiko begins and watches at as a concerned look came onto Eiko's face.

"Are you sure?" She asks, worry evident in her voice.

"Yes. The infection was the cause but while it is still being treated, the fever would run rampant in his body and I fear that he would die." Akiko explains calmly, her own worry hidden but from the look in Eiko's eyes, she is sure that the older woman can see it.

"If that's the case then, What do you need?" Eiko asks, a steely determination in her eyes. Akiko smiles at the sight, while Eiko may know the man she is glad that her elder is willing to help.

"I'm going to need cold water, and plenty of it. Cups, wash cloths and rope." Akiko lists, counting each item on a finger. There is a silence that stretches from Eiko's end.

"...Rope?" She asks hesitantly.

"Yes, Rope." Akiko confirms with a nod of her head. But there is still an unasked question in her eyes.

"Earlier today, I'm certain that the patient was hallucinating and it sounded terrible. What I worry about is that there may be more episodes such as this and in order to protect him from harming himself in these delusions, I believe that I will need to have him restrained. At least until his fever breaks." Akiko elaborates further.

There isn't much more she can say without revealing her knowledge of who Kakashi is and later being questions on how she knew. And If Akiko is correct in her assumptions, those possibilities will definitely come to pass should she say anything.

The old woman nods her agreement, unable to argue with Akiko's logic.

"You wait here, I'll be back with the cups and rope." Eiko says before she's off, venturing deeper into the kitchen.

Akiko knows the woman won't be gone long, so she takes this chance to examine her surroundings.

Along one wall, there is a shelf filled with large copper pots to boil water. Along another are jars and jars of tea, all of different types with the scents of all of them intertwining to make a large mess and confusing enough to have Akiko wiggle her nose in discomfort. In front of her is a row of coal stoves, six from what she can count. Two of them have a copper pot with a ceramic kettle place upon each.

Eiko returns with the items, halting her observation of the room, handing Akiko three cups, rope and a thick group of cloths.

"I found the cloths in the back, they are still clean. I just haven't used them for a while." Eiko informs her, aware that sterility is always something on a medic's mind.

"Thank you." Akiko's gratitude is seeped into her words and Eiko smiles warmly at them.

"I'll come up with the water, there is no need to thank me my dear." The older woman pats Akiko's cheek gently before turning away again, intent to ready the cold water.

Akiko takes her actions as a dismissal and leaves the kitchen.

She is half way across the room when she feels rough hands clutching her shoulder and the smell of alcohol drifting from whomever has a hold on her. Akiko can feel her lips curl in distaste.

"Nnnowww, Waaiii jst a miute Prtty Lady! I waana a daaancee" Slurred speech meets her ear causing her eyebrow to twitch in annoyance.

"I'm sorry sir, I do not work at this establishment. Please take your hands off me" Akiko says, turning to face the drunk man with a fake smile plastered on her lips, her upper body slightly turned with tense muscles. These men were customers and are most likely paying for both Fumiko and Eiko's service. That Akiko will respect.

However, even with the respect Akiko will defend herself if required.

"Doon't caaarrrrree! Wann a Daannnse!" The man continues, leaning precariously closer to her, the stench of the Sake and other foods are breathed into her face and Akiko can feel her smile slip slightly. She could feel the hand that was on her shoulder wandering lower past her back.

She was _Not_ here as someone's entertainment and neither was she going to let the man remain with such ideas about her.

Akiko was a medic, first and foremost. Not an entertainer. And as a medic, she did have intricate knowledge of the human body with pressure points and acupuncture being one of the many things she had learnt in this world.

Akiko also knew that this man, while drunk, wasn't likely to back down without someone to subdue him.

Shifting everything to her left hand, she grabs the man's hand with her right, bending it down perpendicular to his arm before pulling the hand across her chest bringing him closer and at the same time, using her folded left arm to elbow the man in his solar plexus.

Akiko could hear the man's sudden expel of air from the hit and felt the hand slip and heard it's slap on the ground as the man collapsed. There was still noise from the other man, clearly he either hadn't heard or cared and was most likely as drunk as the man before her.

With an exasperated sigh, Akiko set the items she was carrying down on the nearby table before turning to the man she had just injuries.

She could see a mop of pale blond hair, wrinkled clothes and the smell of dried wheat mixed with alcohol drifts up to her nose. The man is hunched over, one arm cradling his stomach area and the other is supporting his frame as to stop him from falling over.

Akiko bends over and places her hands under his biceps, firm from his job, and lifts him up. She gently seats him down on the nearby table.

He doesn't look up when she stands, still dazed from the blow. Another sigh leaves Akiko and she lifts his head with a hand on his chin.

Green eyes take her in with a suspicious sheen of tears in them, and in the interesting mixture of still being foggy with alcohol and sharp with pain. And he, like Kakashi, has his eyes trained on her oddly coloured hair.

Akiko crouches down so she is eye level with his legs. She grabs the brown and slightly dusty pant leg on one and yanks it up. She wraps her hand around the exposed leg, hair and all, with her index finger just below his knee cap. Akiko can feel the drunken stare on her head and ignores it with practiced ease. With her hand firmly wrapped, she presses down her fourth finger with moderate ease.

Akiko lifts her grip after a few seconds and stands once more. The man's head follows with her movement, his stare slightly less drunk and more intense. Akiko feels her self stiffen in surprise, this wasn't what she had expected from a drunk man. Either he wasn't as drunk as she thought he was or he was really good at pretending.

She forces herself to relax and retrieves the things that she had placed down earlier. Akiko smiles kindly at the man before patronizingly patting his cheek twice with her free hand, as she had once done to her grandchildren when they _tried_ to pull the wool over her eyes, and walked off.

x

When Akiko returns to upstairs to place her equipment down, she is pleased that Kakashi is still asleep however she is less pleased and more worried when she realizes that his forehead is drenched in sweat and so was the bedding under him.

From here, Akiko knows, it's going to be difficult because the fever has increased in-spite of the Willow tea she had given him and it seemed that either tonight or tomorrow was when Kakashi's fever was going to break. One day and one night, any longer and Akiko would start to doubt that he would survive.

Eiko came in with a large bowl of colder water and a cold teapot held together with the water. She had arrived not long after Akiko had examined the man and made her prediction but with Eiko saying that she would stay with Akiko as a second set of hands had relieved a great amount of tension on her shoulders and made something in her relax slightly.

' _This night is going to be a long one'_ Akiko thinks to herself as she watches shivers rack Kakashi's body and his fever climb higher.

x

The mumbling and tremors don't start til after midnight. Eiko had fallen asleep, leaving Akiko with anxious nerves and a belly full of lead. She had been unable to find peace in sleep and took to quietly pacing the floor at the foot of Kakashi's bed interspersed with moments of staring at the man and it was during one of these staring moments that Akiko noticed the movement of the man's lips.

She stepped closer to his head and watch his eye lid flutter as he dreamt. The muttering was quiet and Akiko wasn't going to lean closer to him to figure out what he was saying, the very fact that his muscles were tensing was enough for her to know that the dream wasn't a good one. Most likely a memory.

Akiko watched with a wary eye as Kakashi continued to twitch, his head jerking and the cold damp cloth sliding precariously on his forehead.

x

There was a sudden shout that had Akiko jerking violently as she woke from her unintended slumber.

Kakashi is crying out in pain, back arching off the bed as his muscles tensed as if experiencing an attack.

"Eiko!" Akiko cried loud enough to wake the old woman as she rushed to Kakashi's side. He was thrashing against an invisible enemy and she arrived at this head, the sight of his sharingan eye open sent shivers down her spine.

She had remembered a few abilities of that eye. It's ability to place people in illusions and remove their freewill. Akiko didn't know how much control he had over that eye and in his own nightmare, she wasn't willing to test it out. While staring at his scar-less cheek, she grabbed the cloth that was on his forehead and dragged it over his eyes, blocking the sharingan from sight.

Even with the eye shut, there is little that changes as Akiko attempts to push him down against the bed with her hands and arms on his shoulders, straining against the ninja's strength.

There is a violent arch and a flail of Kakashi's right hand which hits against the wooden edge of the side table. A sickening crack fills the room briefly and Akiko knows that he's just broken his hand.

Eiko, she notices, was only staring in shock at Kakashi, unable to move as if he was something that she has never seen before.

"EIKO!" Akiko shouts at the woman, her patience cut short. The old woman looks up abruptly startled out what ever reverie she was stuck in.

"I need the rope!" Akiko cries as Kakashi bucked under her hands still crying out like a wounded animal. She can hear the faint sound of movement as the woman hurries to the table. Akiko doesn't dare look away, not when he is reacting on instinct. Now she needs all her wits about her.

As Eiko walks back with the rope, there is a faint buzzing in the air, something easily ignored in favor for the much needed rope.

"Toss the rope across his chest and to the other side of the bed. Bring in over back to me from under the bed." Akiko instructs sharply, there is a grunt of acknowledgement from Eiko but no words are exchanged.

Suddenly the door slams over, and Akiko instinctively turns to face who ever opened it.

"Will you keep it down!" Funiko screeches, dressed in a plain white night gown, her eyes wide and face red with fury.

' _That white clashes with her personality and actions'_ Akiko thinks, distracted by her entrance, once again dismissing the faint crackling in the background.

There's another groan of pain from the silver haired ninja and Akiko turned back to face him, and just doges a lighting charged hand that had slipped through the restraints. She can feel the pain the races up from her forehead to her head and for a second fights against the dizziness and vertigo that catches her by surprise.

Akiko's lax hands had allowed Kakashi to arch up and flail in what seemed like panic. Forcing herself to move past the twitches and muscle spasms from the lighting charge, Akiko pushes against Kakashi again. There's a tapping by her foot, but she can't afford to let go. Eiko is the one doing the tapping but with Kakashi continually thrashing there is no way that Eiko can collect it after letting it go.

All these thoughts fly though Akiko's head and she comes to a split second decision.

"Fumiko, grab the rope!" Akiko shouts, as the blood starts to drip over her left eye, hindering her vision. There is no response and Akiko is fast loosing her patience with the witless woman who only seems good at antagonizing her.

"Fumiko, GRAB THE ROPE" Akiko roars at her, catching a glimpse of the proud woman. There is a meek sound that comes from the door and quick soft steps follow as Fumiko makes her way over to the bed.

Akiko can see her black hair as she quickly bends to get the rope and once again throw it back to Eiko who ties it off.

There is a quick relief, enough time for Akiko to wipe away the blood with the back of her hand, before the small group they've made moves on to containing Kakashi's kicking legs.

x

Tying down Kakashi's legs wasn't as hard as tying down his upper body but it wasn't any easier either.

Akiko had taken the brunt of the wild kicks,with various bruises from her shoulder to her hip. Each were different colours of yellow, blue, purple and black and each time she moved, they twinged with pain. Akiko ignored inquiring looks from Eiko, there wasn't any need. He was her patient and she was going to treat him regardless of the pain.

Fumiko barely did anything after helping to tie Kakashi's legs, her face was pale and her eyes were filled with an odd emotion every time Akiko had caught the woman staring at her. It seemed that for all her pride, she had been completely unprepared for this.

Akiko's head had stopped bleeding but from how it was cut, she suspected that it was going to scar. Ignoring the uncomfortable sensation of the dried blood pulling at her skin, she quickly brought the bowl of water close to Kakashi and soaked a new cloth and stretched over his forehead and his face.

His thrashing stalled slightly, no longer as vigorous as before. Akiko took note of this and continued to soak the cloths and placed them on various parts of his body where allowed.

Individual clothes on his legs and feet, two on each shoulder and an extra on his forehead.

The next thing would be getting water into the man, and with his violent movements, she highly doubted that he would hold steady long enough to force it down his throat. Instead, Akiko soaked another cloth in the cold water and gently squeezed it over his lips letting the water dribble down. She watched as his pink tongue darted out to capture the liquid on his lips.

There was a tap a on her shoulder, Akiko turned her head slightly and saw that it was Eiko.

"Sit down Dear, you've done enough. Fumiko will take it from here. I'll take care of that head wound." She says, sincere in her worry and Akiko feels bad for shouting at her earlier. She bites her lip as she considers Eiko's offer, yes she was tired but he still was her patient and anything that happened to him would be on her conscious, a place where there were enough ghosts.

Akiko starts when she notices a hand on her, she follows the arm and Fumiko is there, offering a shaky smile. With a sigh Akiko relinquished control and sits heavily down on the wooden chair.

"My supplies, including the needle, are in a brown satchel" Akiko tells the old woman and watches Fumiko with wary eyes as she slowly feeds Kakashi water.

"Got it!" Ekiko announces and quickly hurries over to Akiko, with a needled and thread.

Akiko's eye momentarily flickers to Eiko before being drawn back to Kakashi and Fumiko. A strange apprehension has formed at the sight of Fumiko near Kakashi, why she isn't sure.

Wet cloth touches her face and wipes away the blood, Akiko jerks her head away in shock and watches Eiko with the thread and a one of the salve jar that had been on the table.

"Here hold this." Eiko hands her the salve and set to work on the cut. Akiko hisses in pain as the needled pierces though her skin and at the strange sensation of the thread moving though its hole.

"The salve please." wordlessly, Akiko holds out the small jar in exchange of the needle.

' _She used the exact amount of thread.'_ She though in surprise before flinching from the sudden cold of the paste and the stinging that had come with it.

"Thanks. And sorry for shouting at you earlier" Akiko apologizes. "At both of you." she says as she turns to stare at Fumiko who looks slightly sheepish in the middle of changing one of the foot cloths.

"Oh, that's alright Dear, I knew you were just worried about your patient." Eiko assures softly "We both knew."

Fumiko nods hesitantly at the Eiko's words but the sincerity in clear on her face.

' _Perhaps, I misjudged her...'_ Akiko wonders as she stares at Fumiko who flushes slightly, in what Akiko would guess to be embarrassment.

Her eyes turn back to Kakashi, as she levers herself out of the chair.

He is still and breathing calmly, though not as relaxed as before but enough for Akiko to be satisfied. She wasn't going to hum to him with company around, the mere thought of it tightened something in her heart. She wanted that to be their small thing, well her's at any rate.

Akiko removes the cloth from his face and her lips raise slightly at the sight of both eyes being closed. She brushes aside the folded cloth on his forehead, and rests her own forehead against his, her hand is too numb to take a semi accurate temperature measuring.

She breathes in his scent, the smell of ozone covered the faint smells of dog and metal and...something she couldn't identify, but she felt so warm. It was like...

"Well? How is he?" Eiko's voice breaks though her thoughts and her eyes snap open, unaware that they had closed in the first place. Akiko carefully released her breath and focused on Kakashi.

x

The two women waited with bated breath for the verdict from Akiko, each harboring new respect for the woman who had brought a man bleeding out on her back.

' _Please let Kakashi be alright. Sakumo would be sad that his son died so young.'_ Eiko's thoughts are filled with despair, hope and worry warring with each other.

"His fever has broken." Akiko's clear voice cuts through the silence and the weight that had been on her shoulders since that silver mop on hair had come in to sight lifted.

Both Eiko and Fumiko shared smiles of relief and happiness. The pair looked back to the _Doctor_ who's own eyes were filled with relief and just behind her, in the window above Kakashi's bed, the sky was the same orange as Akiko's hair.

' _Well Sakumo, your son is still among the land of the living._ ' Eiko smiles, peaceful and content that can only come with age.

* * *

 _So thoughts?_

 _That little fight scene, what did you think? kudos if you can figure out where I had gotten it from._

 _And from my research, the acupuncture pressure points are to relieve abdominal pain, stomach aches, menstrual pain and generally pain in dealing with the stomach area._

 _And now we have a few more ideas on how Eiko knows Kakashi!_

 _Also I did a quick drawing of what Akiko looks like in her travel clothes, the link is in my profile at the bottom! Just remove the spaces! It isn't in colour, I've just done it in pencil._

 _Please R & R!_


	11. Small Farewells and Inklings

_Hello again! I come with another chapter of TWW! If you see any please let me know and I will fix it ASAP!_

 **EDIT 1/12/2015: This story now has a beta and with this note, what you are reading is the beta'd version. All betaing has been done by bleeding-roses 16**

 _Also to those many reviews that wanted the two to meet face to face, I again apologize in advance. Other than that, enjoy!_

* * *

As soon as those words were out of her mouth, Akiko felt the wave of relief crash over all of them. She could see it in the way that their backs straightened, as if released from a heavy burden that had fallen on them since learning of Kakashi's condition, this was something that she hadn't noticed.

Perhaps when all calms down, she will make her apology to Fumiko.

Akiko noticed the light rays from behind her. Turning slightly, she could barely see the sun rise over the trees.

 _'It's morning already?'_ She thought, surprised with how quickly time has passed.

"Since it's morning already and all of us are exhausted, we should catch what sleep we can. I'll stay to look over him, you two get some rest" Akiko tells them clearly, her concern clear on her face.

"No, you get some rest. I've already had some sleep and from those awfully dark bags under your eyes I don't think you've even slept at all!" Fumiko refuted, standing tall and stubborn but Akiko was too tired to argue with her and conceded with a weary sigh.

"Alright, alright. I'll leave him in your hands but" Akiko nods the Eiko, who was too old to have gone for so long without sleep "Eiko, you need some sleep."

"Worry about yourself first! I'm already off to bed!" Eiko said lively, already hobbling out the room and seemingly intent on going to bed. With a nod to herself, Akiko sat heavily on the wooden chair.

"You're not sleeping here!" Fumiko exclaimed loudly. Akiko looked up, a slightly pained expression on her face.

"You, will be sleeping in an actual bed!" Fumiko grabs Akiko's arm and drags her through the door directly opposite Kakashi's room.

The room was as sparsely furnished as Kakashi's, with only a bed, a small side table and a wooden stool. Akiko shot Fumiko a grateful smile and collapsed into bed, exhausted by the recent events from their sudden meeting to his fever.

Gingerly sliding under the paper thin covers, Akiko felt all thought drifting from her mind as it shut down.

 _'...What was that with Kakashi?'_ was her last lingering thought before sleep claimed her completely.

X

Fumiko quietly backed out of the room, leaving Doctor Akiko to her rest. Though she was jealous of her, and still is, there was no way to stop the admiration that had bloomed when seeing that woman in action. Being able to keep her calm in such a situation, where even her grandmother had been shaken by the scene of Kakashi in pain and crying, out was an impressive feat.

Such a strong man, one wouldn't even think it possible! And how had Fumiko first acted towards her? She had acted like a snubbed woman, high and conceited even going so far as to use the men that had visited as a show off! And to think the one she had sent to rile Akiko up was Kakashi's teammate!

 _'Oh, I hope Genma will forgive me for using him like that!'_ She thought worriedly as she re-entered Kakashi's room, as she had been the one to set him on Akiko earlier that night.

Seeing that Kakashi was sleeping peacefully and his fever having broken, Fumiko saw no need to keep him restrained any longer. She approached the still body carefully, aware of his capabilities and remembering the many lectures from her father and Kakashi about shinobi and their instincts.

Carefully, she undid the restraints, wincing at the rope burns from his struggle. Once they had been neatly pilled, Fumiko sat down with an over exaggerated sigh, staring with a pout at Kakashi's gravity defying silver hair and waited for him to wake.

X

When Kakashi awoke, there was nothing fancy to signal as such. His eyes didn't open, his breathing didn't change and he didn't even move. Fumiko couldn't feel the sudden chakra pulse that he had released to test his surroundings. By then Fumiko was already half asleep.

She watched with half lidded eyes as Kakashi's own eye opened.

Fumiko stared uncomprehendingly for a few seconds before her own eyes widened.

"Kakashi! You're awake? How do you feel? Sore? Dizzy? Tired?" She shot rapid fire questions at the man, staring intently at him her own worry clear in her voice.

Kakashi's eye slowly moved towards her, relief thinly veiled in his eye.

"I...I made it?" He asked slowly, voice rough from disuse and thick with disbelief.

"You made it." Fumiko said softly, grinning brightly despite the tears in her eyes, her voice mirroring the relief from Kakashi.

After three years of constant worry that Kakashi was behind enemy lines for a reason that was beyond their clearance level, she couldn't stop the tears as she laughed through them. Kakashi, who had pulled the sheet to cover his face, only eye smiled with her. Their relief was practically tangible.

"I'll get you some water; you sound like you need it." She sniffed, still smiling and crying as she got up from her chair.

As she walked to over to where the cold kettle and a cup of tea lay, Fumiko could hear the re-shuffling of blankets as Kakashi moved around.

"Don't put your mask on or Akiko will be on my back about not waking her." She calls to the man in a light scolding as she examined a piece of bark and the contents of the cup she had found.

"Who?" He asks, the interest in his voice is clear but there is hardly any wonder.

"Akiko, the lady who brought you in." Fumiko clarifies slightly distracted as she confirms that the cup contained white willow bark before pouring in the water.

"Hm, I don't remember anyone bringing me in." Kakashi answers, fascination and befuddlement mixing in his tone.

"You probably don't, but from what I saw, you were out of it. Completely." She explains, a youthful cheer in her own voice, still grinning at the fact that Kakashi was awake, as she carries the cup to him.

Kakashi takes the cup with one hand holding a part of the blanket to cover his face and gives a nod of thanks before staring intently at the pieces of bark in the water swirling around.

"Don't worry, it isn't poisoned or anything. It just has some white willow bark to numb the pain." Fumiko dismisses the intense look at both her and the cup with a flippant wave of her hand, just missing the flash of pain and a minute wince that he couldn't hide.

She looks away as Kakashi drinks the cup in one go before handing it back to her.

"Oh, lay down. You've been injured and Gran-ma says you have chakra exhaustion and that you need rest!" She pokes Kakashi in the chest fond exasperation colouring her tone but clearly not hiding the blush as it crawls up her cheeks.

 _'I'm *touching* him!'_ The blush becomes darker causing Kakashi to look at her with a strange expression.

"Are you okay? You seem a little red." Kakashi observed as he gently lays back down on the bed.

"Oh-h! I'm fine!" She exclaims, caught off guard, and finishes with a nervous laugh, praying that Kakashi wouldn't catch on to her train of thought.

"So, what happened?" Kakashi asks, seemingly curious about his current situation. Fumiko's face turns sour for a second but long enough for him to see the expression and raise an eyebrow in response.

"Oh, I'm not really sure. Gran-ma will write it all in the report!" She says cheerily, defecting his question quite obviously.

"What about my extraction?" Kakashi asks casually, causing Fumiko's cheeks to flush once more but this time in embarrassment.

"Um...Gemna is here but I think the rest will be here by tomorrow." She tells, visibly wincing at the mention of Gemna's name.

An awkward silence hangs in the air.

"Now, tell me what I've missed." Comes Kakashi's attempt to break the silence and the chance to distract Fumiko from continually giving him the odd look that she gives him which usually follows with an alarming about of sighs, all directed at him.

X

Kakashi listened idly as Fumiko chattered on about the things that he had missed during his three years mission in rain and as time seemed to crawly by, his eyes slowly closed until he fell back asleep.

X

"…and from ther-" She stopped in mid-sentence before releasing her breath with a smile.

 _'Kakashi's fallen asleep again.'_ She thought fondly with a sly grin.

 _'If only you could always stay that way so I can watch you.'_ Her small sly grin became one full of teeth as she quietly got up from her chair and rummages behind the small table before pulling out a simple black book with a charcoal stick.

She hurries back to Kakashi side before opening the book and flips past various unfinished and rough sketches of said man all in different positions. With another grin, Fumiko sets the charcoal to paper and begins to draw.

X

Akiko wakes, stuck in the feeling of chasing a dream and for a second the image of walking by the side of someone that is barely visible to her but the sight of him fills her with the feelings of contentment, peace, calm and...Something she hasn't felt in a long, long time. She lies on the thin bamboo bed, staring at the roof as the image fades into mist but the strange feelings remain.

 _'What...what was that?'_ She releases a sigh that almost feels wistful before forcing herself up.

Akiko scans the room, unsure of her whereabouts for a second before she remembers the events of the last three days.

 _'Right! Kakashi is still recovering!'_ She remembers with a small gasp. As she made her way to stand, a sharp pain in her stomach made itself known. With a small grunt of pain, Akiko bites her lip.

 _'That's right, I've haven't been eating right. Not only that but I still have the bruises from Kakashi's kicks.'_ The next realization comes to her as the pain continues, the thought of the various bruises causes them to twinge in response.

Akiko could smell something though the wooden door that was followed by a series of knock on said door.

"Akiko? Are you awake?" Comes the voice of Eiko.

"I'm up, you can come in." She calls back, her throat feeling dry and croaky.

The door swings open with a creak and Akiko can see Eiko making her way into the room with a small tray of food with a singly bowl on it.

"I figured you would be hungry so I made some chicken soup." The elderly woman answers her unasked question.

"Thanks, I didn't realize I was hungry until just now." Akiko takes the dish with both hands and a warm smile.

"Of course! How could you when you were sick with worry!" Eiko chastises her.

"Next time remember to take care of yourself as well."

Akiko winces from the sudden smack to the back of her head and stares back at Eiko with a slight look of indignation but a stern look from her elder has Akiko ducking her head.

 _'She reminds me of my own grandmother.'_ She thinks with a small amount of disbelief.

"I'll do my best" She says sheepishly before drinking the soup straight from the bowl, relishing the taste of the chicken that hit her taste-buds.

"Well, I suppose that would be the best I can get out of you." Eiko sighs with exasperation before her expression brightens for a moment.

"Oh! Fumiko told me to tell you that your patient had woken for a while before falling back to sleep" She tells Akiko giddily.

Akiko chokes on the soup at the sudden news before putting the bowl down and starts to cough.

"Fumiko...said he...woke up?" Her voice is broken up by the coughs and croaky from the soup.

"Yes she did. Oh! Are you alright?" Eiko asks concerned at the sudden coughing fit.

"I'm fine; just some soup went down the wrong way" Akiko replies while hitting her chest with a fist in an attempt to stop coughing, an old habit that had followed her throughout her life.

"So, did Fumiko ask for a name?" She questions once her coughing had stopped and watches Eiko intently. She knows that these two know Kakashi on a personal level and wonders if they will hesitate to say a different name.

"Yes, Fumiko told me that his name was Hisao." She is told smoothly. There is no delay or hesitance when saying the name. Akiko speculates that perhaps Eiko had used that name before or that it was a friend's.

"Long-Lived Man..." Akiko ponders on the meaning of the name, and whether it was a wish of Eiko that he lives a long life, a tell of events to come or just plain luck that this name was his.

"Is he alright? Has anything changed?" Akiko looks up at Eiko while resuming her soup.

"There was not change, he's fine. As for you however..."

"I'm fine as well, there's no need for you to worry about me" Akiko cut Eiko off; she knew that she would have to leave soon and it was only a matter of time that someone would come to collect Kakashi as well. Her time here was limited, hopefully limited enough so he won't remember her.

Eiko looks at her with a strange look in her eye, as if reading her emotions but unable to tell her intentions.

"I will also be leaving soon and hope that Hisao will recover well in your hands." She explains, now reading Eiko's look as befuddlement and a question.

"You're leaving?" Eiko's brow furrow's at Akiko.

"Yes, I only intended to stay long enough for Hisao to no longer need my help." A calculative gleam enters the old lady's eye and Akiko knew that she must be careful with her words here.

"You're running from something." Eiko states, not a question and she gets it right.

"Aren't we all?" There is a small smile twisting on her lips and Akiko isn't sure whether it's a sad on or one a bitter one, because she was, she was running from Kakashi and any chance that they could meet. She didn't want any contact with any of the characters, she didn't want to interfere. Akiko knew there would be hard time for them and the world, but she was selfish. All she wanted to do was to find her ache and have a happy life with children and love.

"Perhaps once..." Eiko trails off, still staring at Akiko with eyes that show her mind fast at work remembering a time when she too, had been running.

Akiko gives a non-committal hum of acknowledgement and finishes her soup before handing it back.

"Thanks for the food, it is much appreciated." Akiko changes the subject with about as much subtly as a barking dog and from the look Eiko gives her, she thinks as much as well.

"It's no trouble dear; Hisao's room should be empty now. You can take another look at him if you want." Eiko offers and leaves the room with a grace Akiko hadn't noticed before, a grace that a dancer usually has, or a ninja.

 _'Well, it seems that Eiko was a Shinobi at one time. Or at least a very good dancer.'_ Akiko can feel the slight quirk of her lips as she watches the woman leave.

Once Akiko is sure that Eiko had left, she makes her way back to Kakashi's room to check on him, gather her supplies and get ready to leave.

X

When Akiko enters Kakashi's room once more, it's clear that Fumiko had removed the restrains and there are clues that he had been awake, the single one was that the bed covers were now covering his face as if to duplicate his mask. That single action of habit caused a fond smile and an exasperated head shake from Akiko.

Remembering the broken hand, Akiko quickly checks it but is surprised that it has already been set and tied with supports. She isn't sure whether it was Eiko or Fumiko but it is clear that they both care for Kakashi.

As Akiko covers the hand, a small piece of white catches her eye.

It's the cup that she had used to sedate Kakashi during his hallucinations. She stared at his cup thoughtfully. It must have been used recently, as to why, she herself wasn't sure.

 _'Well, the dosage isn't dangerous and there wasn't enough to cause a serious illness. So it should be fine.'_ She dismisses before turning back to the table.

Her bruises were still untreated and Akiko intended to put a numbing cream so that she could leave and treat her wounds elsewhere, her head wound being the most prominent.

On the table, her bag and satchel hadn't been moved. The salves were longer that and she was fine with that. All she wanted to do was to leave, and soon and from the looks of the sun's position from the window, it was almost noon.

Searching through her bag, she pulled out the two salves she had used on Kakashi earlier, setting those aside to redress his wounds, Akiko continued her search. There was another jar, one with numbing cream and a thin slender stick. Good enough so that when she puts it on, she can easily move despite the pain. It was a quick remedy she had used many times before.

The stick would be used to keep her hair out of the way. Holding the stick with her teeth, Akiko pulls her hair into a pony tail before taking the stick and sliding it underneath the ponytail and twisting the stick twice and sliding one end through the bun she had created, keeping her hair out of her face.

At the same time as taking out the jar, Akiko also took out her own spare clothes that she intended to change Kakashi into, as a form of apology for ruining his clothes and a spare set of bandages that she had intended to use as a bind.

Setting each item aside, she moved to apply the cream. Instead of removing her shirt, Akiko merely smear a semi-decent amount of the ointment on her finger and rubbed it in based on where she could feel it. It didn't take long, once she had finished, Akiko quickly moved on to rechecking Kakashi's wounds.

Akiko spent a few minutes staring at the bandages that covered his torso, unwilling to cut through them but also equally unwilling to unwind them individually.

Letting out a small sound from the back of her throat in clear display that she didn't want to, Akiko as gently as she could, she ripped the bandages on the side. Gathering the ends in bundles, she threw them to the other side of the bed exposing his wounds. The three wounds that had caused the most trouble were healing nicely. The redness and swelling had gone down, most of them were sealing themselves up but there were a few superficial cuts that had reopened during the night.

With the new shirt by his head and the roll of bandages on top, Akiko repeats the process cleaning his wounds. Smiling when she noticed her water skin was right where she had left it, it was still on the bed side table un-touch by the night's commotion.

Taking a piece of the clean bandage roll and dampening it with water, she sets out to clean all of the wounds, unaware she had started humming again.

Akiko sets the cloth, now stained red from the blood, she turns to the two ointment bottles she had brought over with the clothes. Once more with the two salve jars she had used before, she takes a generous amount of each and mixed them together. When she deemed them mixed, Akiko smears them over the wounds again.

Pulling back, she stares at her work before moving resigning herself to using the bandages to re-wrap Kakashi's wounds. After wrapping the bandages, Akikio moves to replace his shirt.

"You haven't gotten any lighter since the last time I lifted you up." She mutters to herself as she heaves his upper body to slide his arms and head through the shirt's respective holes.

As Akiko is about to move to check on stitches on Kakashi's right leg, she looks up in surprise as the sound thundering footsteps echo through the room and as it gets heaver, she can just hear a voice over the sound.

"...Came as soon as I heard!" It was loud enough to cause Kakashi to groan quietly in discomfort. The voice itself seemed vaguely familiar but if it was one of Kakashi's buddies, there was no doubt that they may be using a disguise. Akiko knew she couldn't trust her ears or her eyes here.

The footsteps became louder as they came closer. The stairs and then down the hall. Akiko pointedly ignored the sound, there was nothing she could do now but focus on caring for Kakashi.

She starts again when the door suddenly opened with a bang. She stares at the man in the doorway with eyes wide.

The man had black hair and a forehead slick with sweat, his eyes were a dark brown that held worry that Akiko was sure couldn't be faked. He wore clothes of a regular farmer but there was something about it that seemed...off somehow as well as the eyes and when he saw the position she had stopped in, his lips pressed into a thin white line.

Her arms had been stopped in the motion of removing Kakashi's pants.

"Hey! What the hell are you doing?!" Instead of the worry she had heard in his voice earlier, there was now anger. Akiko's surprised stare changed and she levelled him with the flattest stare she could and watched with hidden amusement as he involuntarily shivered.

"I'm tending to my patent. Keep your voice down, it's disturbing him." And as if on cue, Kakashi shifted restlessly and let a small moan of pain.

She could see the blush of embarrassment slowly rising before she turned away again, just catching a glimpse of the Eiko, whom she hadn't noticed being by the door until she had moved, and her smirk as she walked off.

"Are you his friend? Or next of kin?" Akiko questions professionally, ignoring the man's presence.

"um...I'm his friend." He says, sounding caught off guard. She hums in acknowledgement as she removes his pants, exposing his leg and some of his underwear. Akiko ignores the latter with years of practice and a strong feeling of professionalism.

When being a doctor, one sees all parts of the body to point of simply being desensitized to any parts a patient may consider embarrassing. However, the man that had taken to squatting by her side didn't see it like that.

His hand grips her wrist as she was removing the completely ruined pants.

Akiko looks up in response, annoyed with the interruption.

"You shouldn't do that." The man says, his brown eyes boring into her with an angry intensity.

Akiko only sighs wearily at the action, silently asking the heavens for patience.

"This man suffered severe blood-loss through a severed artery. I have sealed the wound and am currently checking on it." She explains patently but the hand does not release her wrist.

"Please remove your hand so that I may continue with my job." Akiko says through grit teeth as she faces the man. The man does with curiosity and surprise evident in his expression.

"Why did you help him?" He asks as the pants are removed completely.

"Why wouldn't I?" She retorts as she inspects the skin.

"People don't just do that." The man replies and Akiko can feel his brows furrow from the bewilderment.

"Well, I'm not people." There is a silence from his end.

The skin itself had healed enough to remain together so there was no longer a need for the stitches to remain. As Akiko moves to get up, the man stands quickly.

"You stay there; I can get whatever you need!" He says with an urgency that comes from a person who doesn't want or know how to apologize but does want to help.

"Okay then. Can you get my brown satchel from the table?" She concedes and lets the man investigate her belongings, after all ninjas are paranoid.

"Here." The man hand her the satchel which she unrolls and Akiko can feel the stare on her as the various surgical tools glint in the sunlight, as she quickly removes a small and thin pair of scissors.

"That's a lot of sharp tools." He said in surprise.

"Of course, I'm a medic. I do need tools for my trade." Akiko replies, wearing a faint smirk as she removes the stitches from Kakashi's leg.

"You're a medic?!" Now Akiko is sure that the surprise the man feels is real.

"Yup!" She cheerily agrees as she replaces the scissors for some more bandages and wraps Kakashi's leg wound.

Replacing the scissors back in to leather satchel, she re-rolls the bag and stands where takes her spare pants and drops them in the man's hands.

"You can put those on him while I pack up." She says with a small grin as she walks to her own bag still lying on the small table.

There is some startled movement behind her as she repacks her things and by the time she had turned around, Kakashi was lying in bed fully dressed with the man standing awkwardly by his side.

"Hisao is going to need you to take care of him now." Akiko says with some regret and watches as the man looks to her with wide eyes.

"He's going to need a lot of rest, about an extra week for the blood loss. Make sure he gets lots of water and eats meat to replenish his blood. Also he can't move much otherwise the wounds will open and take special notice of his right leg, that leg can't move much, otherwise he might reopen the artery and have severe internal bleeding." Akiko says in a rush and watches the realization dawn in the man.

"You're leaving." It's not a question.

"I am." Akiko nods, "You're here now, you can look after him." She finishes with a smile before leaving through the door.

X

Akiko meets Eiko and Fumiko at the bottom of the stairs. Eiko has a knowing look while Fumiko stares behind her anxiously.

"He's going to be fine. His friend will take of him now." Akiko releases a sigh.

Fumiko look at her confused before seeing her bag and the understanding dawns on her.

"You're leaving." The tone is slightly incredulous but not a question.

"I am." Akiko says with a slight, reminded of her with the man upstairs who she is starting to think is Yamato, but she isn't sure.

"You take care of yourself, now!" Eiko says to her affectionately and Akiko smiles at the woman before nodding before taking a sudden weight as Fumiko had thrown herself into a hug.

"...Thank you for taking care of him." Her voice is muffled by Akiko's shoulder but she can hear it loud and clear.

"Don't thank me; I was just doing my job." Akiko tells the woman, patting her back gently.

There is a flash of blond hair, Akiko looks up from Fumiko's shoulder and sees the same blond haired man from the night before except now he's sober and grinning at her. Her brows furrow as the man winks at her before performing over exaggerated motions of putting, what Akiko see as a thin metal stick in his mouth. She pushes this out of her mind as she sees the Eiko staring at her and Fumiko fondly.

"You two take care; I'll visit when I can." Akiko says her farewells and as she moves to the door, the two women accompany her to the entrance of the tea shop.

Akiko waves at them as she leaves, taking the road directly in-front of her.

X

As she moves further away from the teashop, Akiko can feel her ache making it's presence known once more. She rubs at her heart absently as her thoughts are cast back to that moment when she was checking Kakashi's temperature.

 _'...Home. He smelt like home.'_ Her realization comes suddenly and causes her to laugh sadly.

Now she has an inkling as to why but Akiko didn't want to confirm it, not yet.

Another sudden realization takes precedence over her inkling as she suddenly remembers the name of the man in the series that always had a metal stick in his mouth.

"...Genma." Akiko can't stop the laugh that bubbles out of her throat. She had elbowed a ninja in the stomach.

Placing her straw hat on her head with a grin, Akiko continues on her journey this time to where her feet will take her.

* * *

 _Now, before you lot all go off at me I DO have a plan. As said in one of the journal-ish entries, they didn't actually meet until later and not worry there will be many almost and justs later on._

 _Also I think you guys can guess what Kakashi had been doing for the last three years. And yes that was his team so to those who got it, I congratulate you!_

 _As to the hair stick, I do that as well because I don't quiet like hair ties that much so that is how I do it._

 _Lately I've been watching some chinese dramas and those can get so complicated AND! And! They really pull at the heart strings, I can't not tell you how many times I've ended up in tears when something sad happens but their trial and tribulations that the character go through are brilliant! That is a sorta heads up of how this will go. But this fic WIll have a happy ending!_

 _This is a shout out to the guest review called 'COME ON'. I know you got annoyed with the fact that Kakashi had spent most of this time on the bed but as I am trying to be as realistic as possible, I would like to say this. For a person to recover from severe blood loss like Kakashi without transfusions, they would need two weeks rest where they have to drink alot of water and have iron supplements or lots of meat to make up for the lost iron in the blood. Then as I have said here, Kakashi also has chakra exhaustion and if you remember, on team 7's mission to wave Kakashi also experienced chakra exhaustion and couldn't move for two days and it took him a week to heal._

 _When you add the two injuries together, then there would be a lot of sleeping to recuperate._

 _On a side note, I am looking for a person who is willing to beta this story. If you are, please PM me or leave a message in the review._

 _Thank you for reviewing, reading, following and favoring. Your thoughts are much appreciated!_

 _Until next time!_


	12. Interlude - Initial Thoughts

_Hello! Here is an interlude that sorta wrote itself! It is from from 4 different people's POV so each 'X' means a change in Point of view!_

 _EDIT 14/12/15: this has now been updated and what you are currently reading is the beta'd version done by bleeding-roses-16_

 _Thank you! Enjoy!_

* * *

The second time Kakashi woke it was to the sharp smell of antiseptics and the lingering smell of death.

 _'A hospital.'_ Of course, the one place he hates the most. The place where he brings back his injured comrades for them to be healed only to die instead. He pulsed his chakra once and felt that the room entirely empty as he could sense no one else's chakra's but he didn't believe that one bit. He knew that there were ANBU members surrounding the room to keep an eye on him. It was protocol, especially for ninja to return home from long term undercover missions lest they betray.

Turning his thoughts away from his current situation, Kakashi cast his mind back to the last thing he could consciously remember **,** which was Fumiko chatting his ear off about her everyday happenings for the last three years. That and the faintest scent of forest surrounding him. Kakashi could just smell the same scent lingering on his skin, which he also considered odd since he couldn't remember coming in contact with anyone having that scent.

His inner musings were interrupted by the only door in the room opening and a medic with and ANBU - Bird - escort entering the room.

Kakashi could feel the annoyance building up when he saw the medic with the clip board, he really didn't want to answer any pre-set questions or deal with any of the on-duty med-nins until the Hokage debriefed him on the scroll that he had sent ahead via summons.

X

Tenzo watched as his captain and friend's emotions change from contemplative to annoyed, which was almost tangible if going by Bird's very subtle twitch, at the very sight of the medic and the clip board.

As he watched the proceedings, Tenzo's thoughts turned to the woman that had helped his captain who's name he'd later been told was Akiko. His own encounter with the woman was ...unique. It seemed that she was the type of person who helped others because they had the ability to help. Her own words were also peculiar when he had questioned her motive, something that he hadn't heard from others before.

 _"People don't just do that."_

 _"Well I'm not people."_

Her looks were average; she was ordinary in everything except for the fact that she had hair which he could only describe as the colours of a sunset and the fact that she wore men's clothing.

The debriefing wasn't going to start until later but Tenzo was very curious as to what the report that their contact **,** Eiko had submitted and hopefully it would shed more light on the odd woman known as Akiko.

X

As Genma crouched in the hidden rafters of the Hokage's office he absently rubbed at his stomach **,** chasing away the phantom pains of being elbowed with great force by a civilian woman. Of course, that led him to think about the woman who had caused him the pain. She had stared at him with brown eyes glittering with indignant anger, something he found attractive, and later with exasperated concern. After inflicting him with a substantial amount of pain, for a civilian, she then pulled up his pants leg and eased the pain with simply a finger.

She was an interesting one, fierce and beautiful despite hidden in all those baggy clothes.

Fumiko had told him with subtle words, that she may have been a threat to Kakashi but he suspected otherwise especially when he had seen the racket that Kakashi had caused during the night.

He had watched from the window as Kakashi seemed to be stuck in a flashback and had watched the orange headed woman keep her cool and subdue the ANBU member, suffice to say, he was impressed. He was even witness her getting a scar on the right side of her forehead to the hairline, for her efforts of saving Kakashi from hurting others and himself.

As he watched her keep her calm in a situation that had him restraining himself from helping his fellow family member, the admiration that he had seen bloom in Fumiko had also sprouted in him too. Enough so that when that woman was saying her good-byes to the contacts, he subtly revealed his identity to her.

A pulse of chakra caught his attention and Genma look in the direction of the window as Kakashi and Tenzo slipped though and stood to attention, waiting for the Hokage to begin.

He watched with keen eyes as the Hokage performed the hand seals to activate the silence seal so that ANBU members were able to debrief with the Hokage.

 _'Well, now I get to learn more about that mystery woman...'_ Genma thought with a grin behind his mask.

X

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, watched with impassive eyes as his best operative recounted the information he had gathered for the last three years as an undercover operative in Ame, focusing on the main points that were in the report that had been handed in earlier.

Their final and only successful attempt of infiltrating the village. With Kakashi having been discovered and attacked, Sarutobi knew that whoever was in-charge would tighten their security even more, making it impossible for a spy to infiltrate Ame again.

The information wasn't much, as Inu could not get any closer than a janitor in the administrative headquarters but it could be considered vital as there had been individuals sighted in cloaks with red clouds. Hiruzen knew who they were, Jiraiya had told him earlier about them but as of yet their objective was still unknown.

"...once the enemy ninja had been defeated, I had collapsed due to unknown causes within the visual range of, who I would presume to be, a civilian." Kaka...Inu's words had caught the Third's attention, a civilian?

He stared at the operative more in intensely. A civilian could spell trouble for this mission but the Third wasn't sure **,** so he motioned for the man to continue with the report.

The Operative merely looked at the Hokage and continued.

"Later on, I regained conscious, I was already at the rendezvous point. Contact Beta, Fumiko, was beside me and well aware of my condition. I did not meet with the civilian that I had seen however, a woman called Akiko was apparently the one to bring me to the inn. I left consciousness once more and woke up in the hospital." He finished flatly as Hiruzen contemplated on this odd occurrence.

His eyes drifted to the room and with a subtle poke of chakra to the operative in the room, a beaver faced mask dropped down from the darkness.

"Beaver, you were the scout. You mentioned a civilian who...had strength to subdue you. Explain." The Third ordered with a firm tone that was tinged with curiosity.

Beaver merely nodded his head and started to speak.

"Contact Beta had reported that the civilian was a threat to Operative Inu, who appeared to be recovering from an unknown cause. I then attempted to do a threat assessment on the civilian.

I took on the role of a drunk male civilian and made contact with said civilian and was attacked on the count of self-defence. I then deemed that the civilian's threat as minimal **,** as her own skills were minimal. However I continued to keep watch through the night." Beaver laid out his decision in the bland and empty tone that was signature in ANBU.

Hiruzen, noted curiously that Inu had twitched and angled his mask slightly towards Beaver when he began speaking of the civilian.

' _This civilian is becoming interesting.'_ He thought to himself as Hiruzen read the body language of Beaver. It showed in small subtle shifts from muscle flexes and re-positioning of his body, that Beaver found the female civilian attractive.

"Hmm...What is your assessment of her?" Hiruzen asked Beaver.

"From what I observed, the civilian has a calm temperament and is able to remain rational in times pressure and is able to remain professional in situations of stress. Her temperament is ideal as a medic." Beaver stated.

"Kinoe, what of you?" The Third turned to the cat shaped mask.

"The civilian is indeed a medic. Her skills are great for what seems to be a traveller. According to the civilian, Inu had suffered blood-loss and was recovering. From the information that I later gathered it was the civilian who had saved Inu's life." Kinoe recounted.

There was a minute stiffening in Inu as the information was relayed.

 _'I guess Kakashi didn't expect a civilian to save his life. One that seems to be well liked.'_ The Third mused.

"Explain." Hiruzen said as if this was new information.

Kinoe bowed before continuing.

"According to contact Alpha, the civilian had brought Inu to the rendezvous, who was badly injured due to a cut on the Femoral artery. Due to this serious injury Alpha had observed and assisted in a surgery to seal the artery that saved Inu's life."

Hiruzen raised an eyebrow but did not say anything as he had read the report by Eiko and to say the least, he was impressed. Under the conditions and with a life at steak, this civilian was certainly something.

"Later, Contact Alpha had reported that the civilian had subdued Inu when he was in fever induced delusions caused from infections of several wounds on the upper body. The civilian had restored to restraining Inu with ropes due to the violent nature of thrashing which had left the civilian with a scar on the right side of the forehead to the hair line. "

Once more Inu had reacted subtly to the information being given, having been in the dark of all this. The Third could see the tensing of his muscles and the minute tilting of the mask that Tenzo would be questioned later about this woman.

"Once Inu's fever had broken, the civilian had rested in a separate room and then reset the bandages on Inu. At this time I arrived at the inn and made my way to Inu's room and caught sight of the civilian as she checked on the leg wound. The civilian was amiable with questions and asked me to change Inu's clothes, I believe they were a spare that the civilian used at one point."

Hiruzen's lips curled with a smirk at the twitch he could see go through Inu at the mention of the clothes.

"Then the civilian left leaving no name." Kinoe finished his report and waited for the Hokage to continue.

"Were there any defining features about the civilian?" Hiruzen asked the three ANBU in the room before him.

"The civilian has what appears to be orange hair." Kinoe stated flatly.

"The civilian wears men's clothing." Beaver volunteered, Inu stayed silent.

"A name?" The Third asked in a grandfatherly fashion in preparation for a golden ball of energy whose chakra he could feel rapidly nearing the tower.

"The name given to Contact Alpha was Akiko. No last name." Kinoe declared in that detached way and showing nothing about the change in the Hokage.

Inu twitched again, uncomfortably. This time not from the information.

Hiruzen cleared his throat in preparation to give further orders when the handle on the far door twisted.

"Dismissed." He ordered them as the door opened. The ANBU abruptly vanished back in to the shadows as Hiruzen released the silence seal in time for a bright yellow haired child to come barrelling into the office while shouting his lungs out.

Hiruzen chuckled fondly and moved to great the boy who was already speaking a mile a minute.

"GRAMPS! GUESS WHAT!GUESSWHAT!GUESSWHA..."

X

Kakashi stared at the neat pile of folded clothes in the safety of his apartment. He had retrieved them after the debriefing with the Hokage from his subsequent hospital room.

The clothes still had the smell of forest, dust after rain and that one scent that he still couldn't identify.

Kakashi could vaguely remember the civilian that he had stumbled across, a man, wearing a rice planter's hat, on the ground with eyes full of fear.

 _'But he wasn't a man.'_ Kakashi mused to himself as he thought over the information the Third had given him.

A woman, a civilian woman had saved his life. Kakashi was grateful but also curious about her agenda. Did she know who he was? Why did she help him? A stranger that could have killed her had he woken up?

He did feel somewhat guilty for giving the civilian that scar and he was also curious as to what else had happened.

 _'I might just take a peek at Eiko's report.'_ Kakashi thought, slightly gleeful at the prospect of learning more.

Such questions he pondered as he waited for the arrival of Tenzo, his cute subordinate he had adopted from Root.

A flare of chakra and then Tenzo was in the room with him. With a grin on his masked lips, Kakashi turned to his fellow operative.

"Ahh, Tenzo! I've got a few questions for you!" He called and watched with blatant amusement as Tenzo's chakra turned wary and he seemed to blanch.

Well, at least these questions that he has would keep him occupied for a while, hopefully until he was back on the mission roster.

* * *

 _Tada!_

 _Thank you for all the lovely reviews! I;m glad you're enjoying this as much as I am writing it!_

 _So thoughts?_


	13. Christmas Interlude - Arrival Home

_So this is a omake/Interlude for Christmas! Here in AUs it's 1:42 am and Christmas day, so to all who reads this MERRY CHRISTMAS! I hope everyone has a good one!_

 _[Also this is unbeta'd, it will get beta'd but later!]_

 _This takes place a fair bit into the future but I really wanted to write something about christmas! IT also contains the spoiler for the relationship between Naruto and Akiko! I really hope you don't mind. If you find the fact that this is a spoiler for the future chapters, you may skip this one!_

 _This is a Christmas present to my wonderful Beta: bleeding-roses-16! She has done a wonderful job in helping with my chapters_

 _Enjoy!_

* * *

Akiko could see her breath in the cold air of winter as she passed through the gates and into the Leaf village, nodding briefly at the gate guards Izumo and Kotetsu before hurrying along.

' _At this rate, I'm going to be Late!'_ Akiko thought in alarm as she almost ran through the white roads and many times just missed slipping. Christmas was here and knowing Naruto, he was going to be sulking if she missed it!

(Considering she had missed the last two years in a row)

Christmas had been hard to introduce since it hadn't really existed in the first place and it had taken some very heavy editing of the origin just to make it fit with the elemental continents!

(When Santa was explained, well, There were numerous traps in the very tiny fireplace and an almost constant surveillance for the fat man in red. She really should have seen this coming and she didn't think Naruto was the only one who planted those traps.)

But once Naruto had been told that there would be an exchange of presents and a time for family, well he was on board all the way! And somehow, a mysterious person only known as Inu was roped into the mess as well.

How? She wasn't entirely sure herself, but with Naruto? Well, anything can happen with the at boy.

(Akiko had the faintest feeling in the back of her mind that she knew the man behind the mask who hovered almost protectively around Naruto. That feeling constantly annoyed her to no end.)

Akiko was coming around the last corner to Naruto's apartment, and with a rash decision to save time, she broke into a run with a single arm outstretched to catch the single pole to swing her around and keep her momentum.

The impact jarred her arm but the plan worked and she slid around the corner and someway down the street, just keeping her balance by waving her arms around like a flailing octopus.

A quick glance to the top of the build that Akiko is approaching shows that the lights are still on and Akiko just knows that in that apartment, a nine year old boy with bright yellow hair is waiting for her.

Her heart clenches at the thought and warmth spreads from that spot, so much warmth that Akiko smiles softly at the very thought.

Akiko enters through the door way and races up the stairs with an unusual amount of speed for a civilian as she hurries to get back to her...family before midnight. The closer she gets to the door, the heavier her pack seemed to become. Full of presents from all the countries and towns she had visited.

x

By the time Akiko reaches the top of the stairs, she is gasping for breath like a fish out of water but she is determined to be on the other side of that locked blue door in-front of her.

She staggers up to it and knocks heavily, enough so that it could be called pounding. And after the first two knocks, the door is open and suddenly there is an armful of happy crying child.

"I'm home." She whispers softly into Naruto's hair as she hugs him fiercely, wondering why couldn't he be her ache, he be the person she lives for.

"Mum, you're home." He croaks back, half laughing and crying from relief.

"I'm home." She repeats, stroking his hair, her own tears slipping down her cheeks as her voice breaks. She is home, after four long months away on the road, sleeping on the ground and on branches, pretending to be a man and working in the fields. And during those time, Akiko wished with all her heart that she was with Naruto, helping with his homework, helping out with his reading, meeting his friends and even setting up play dates. She would have rather been there listening to him nattering on about Iruka-Sensei, his new crush Sakura and, quoting Naruto, "That Bastard Sasuke"

But she was home now and right now, that was all that mattered.

"Now, why don't we go inside." She kisses his head. "I have chocolate."

Naruto doesn't say much about himself but he is telling her about the time she wasn't here, what she missed and his classmates. His voice is thick and cracks in some places and when he looks at her, there is the suspicious sheen to his eyes and the evidence of tear tracks on his cheeks that makes Akiko want to reach out and crush him into another strong hug and take him somewhere he'll be safe from harm.

(And in some corner of her mind, the reality strikes and whispers that keeping Naruto safe would be almost impossible and some days, that's what makes her worry, that's what causes her sleepless nights.)

Akiko doesn't pull away or do anything but let him drag her by the arm, because she's missed _this_ , and into the warm apartment.

x

The room is warm with heating from a crackling fireplace, soft splashes of colour fill the moon. Comfort fills her, and something loosens in her chest at the sight of her home and her... _son._

Akiko was very aware he wasn't her child by blood but she didn't care. They adopted each other in ways that in a sense healed each other and helped them grow. Akiko didn't regret her decision then and doesn't regret it now and can't see when she'll regret it in the future.

Naruto wasn't as energized as he usually is, she can see the sluggishness in his actions from his apparent fatigue.

(Akiko can see the dark eye bags from late and maybe sleepless nights and she worries)

Her brow furrows in worry as she enters the kitchen and takes of her pack. What could be keeping her son up so late? Or was he just worried that she wouldn't make it again?

Akiko makes good on her unspoken promise for hot chocolate and comes back to Naruto sitting on the couch and playing with a wrapped gift. Akiko raises an eyebrow but doesn't question it since such gifts had begun to show up almost right after Naruto had attempted to tell his school mates.

(Akiko could only assume that those who liked Naruto heard about it and passed it one since sometimes there is more than one present left for him.)

"When did this one come around?" Akiko asks softly as Naruto plays 'spin the box'.

"This morning. I woke up and there it was on my bed! Smells like Inu though." The last part is muttered petulantly.

"I'm sure he has his reasons, now here have some hot chocolate. I'll get the presents when you're done." Akiko hands the second mug she carried from the kitchen to him.

"But I have a present too!" Naruto whines and he does. Ever since that first present ended up on his bed, Naruto had bought presents for the mysterious Inu who sometimes took the present or not until much later. Akiko knew that he is focused on finding out who is behind that mask.

(Akiko also gets the feeling that Inu is finding this amusing.)

Naruto grasp the cup with his small hands and smiles shyly.

"Thanks mum." It seemed that he still loved the fact that Akiko was his mother just as much as Akiko loves the fact he is her son.

Akiko watches Naruto finish his drink as she regales him with the humorous stories of her travels, making him laugh and on the good occasion, making him snort the chocolate milk out his nose.

Eventually the warmth of the chocolate, the energy he spent and the wait tires Naruto out and he slowly drifts to sleep with the cup hanging in his hand.

Akiko watches with calm eyes and relishes the time she has with him because she knows that when Naruto gets older, he might be like the other teens when their older and Akiko also knows that by then he'll be a real ninja and he will have duties to attend to and probably wouldn't have time for her.

She smiles softly, gently running her hands though Naruto's hair. It's moments like these full of calm and peace and love. With all her heart Akiko wants to stay, so much that *every* time she leaves, it with a few tears.

Gently taking Naurto's cup and placing her own on the small table by the couch, Akiko lifts him with great care and takes him to his room.

She tucks him in and watches with fond eyes as Naruto burrows into his pillows with a small grin.

"Good night, Whiskers." Akiko whispers as she leans down and kisses his forehead.

"Love you." There is a reaction and a mumbled reply that makes her eyes light up and her heart warm.

"Merry Christmas."

* * *

 _So Thoughts? (Also this fits into a bit of Semi-AU)_

 _Later on I'll have the new chapter at the place where 13 is and this will become chapter 14._

 _Once again, MERRY CHRISTMAS!_


	14. Lost Thoughts and That Drink

_Hello! I apologise for the wait between chapters and unfortunately, after the next chapter I'm going to post, that wait is going to be longer since tomorrow I am going to china to visit some family and I will be gone for about a month. Hence the two present gift! Please enjoy!_

 _This hasn't been beta'd because I didn't want to not post before I left. Sorry for the mistakes!_

* * *

To be honest, those four days were very stressful, not the most but high on that list. I had starved myself in worry for Kakashi with only eating nuts when my stomach gave out sharp pains that had me unable to move too much.

That man causes the most amount of worries in my life! But I do wonder from time to time what would have happened if I wasn't there? Would another enemy team have been sent to retrieve him? Would his team had found him in time? Was it something I did that gave him that mission into rain?

Such questions had little to no answers but were the cause of some sleepless nights.

The next few days on the road I had to be careful of what I ate. I could only eat thin broths from the herbs that I had.

Eiko and Fumiko later became good friends, especially on the road and when ever I was near the border of Rain, I would make a point to visit them. Although the jealously Fumiko had against me never vanished but was merely swept away under a rug so to speak.

Hisao's friend? Well, he was indeed Yamato. Though I had my suspicions, I hadn't learnt about it until later, much later. As for the drunk man Gemna, well, he was a hoot! He definitely played the part of a drunk all to well! I speculated for weeks on end why he would do such a thing as ridiculous as reveal his identity since those in ANBU were supposed to be anonymous.

Those days...

 _Excerpt from the Memoirs of Akiko Hatake nee Reko_

 _Page 129_

x

Akiko could feel the heaviness in her heart as she walked further away from the tea shop but she refused to think of the reason why. She wanted nothing to do with what was to come and meeting Kakashi was enough for her.

Her stomach grumbled loudly signaling that it was midday and time for a small lunch. Since she hadn't eaten properly during the days she had treated Kakashi, Akiko knew that she had to eat thin broths to sooth her stomach and get it acclimatized to solid foods, just to be safe.

Resting at the base of a nearby tree, Akiko rummaged though her small bag and retrieved her water skin. Releasing a forlorn and tired sigh, she stared at the road before her as she drank.

Perhaps in the next town over, she would stop for a drink. Akiko felt like she needed one.

x

Akiko followed the road for a month and her weariness passed as the excitement of reaching another town took it's place. She still wanted that drink but for more happy circumstances around.

The amount of ground she covered was much more and a lot faster due to the fact that almost the entirety of the Land of Fire was flat and is either covered in tress or to open grass land.

Akiko found that while she liked the travel time on the roads of Fire, she still preferred the scenery, sunrises and sunsets of the Earth border.

The views from the peaks of the mountain ridges, the colours of the sunsets and sunrises. All were beautiful and idyllic and at times, when the fire warmed her well enough, she would dream of that one perfect place with sunsets and a single tree on a hill top where she could sit and watch the sky until the stars came out and the moon came to say hello.

Fire Country is a warm place where the sun beats down on her back during the day and the wind chills during the night and since she had just missed winter, Akiko takes it as a small blessing.

But it was a place that she could grow to like.

Her own country was fair tempered with snowy winters. Lush and green during Summer and spring, a brilliant amber and orange during the Autumn. And winter was the one season she loved the most for that was when the plum blossoms bloomed, resilient and persevered through the harshest of weathers, through the cold and the winds.

Akiko's thoughts were so deep in nostalgia that she was unaware that the foliage had changed from a few spindly trees to thick forest.

It was when a cold drop of water had fallen on her nose that she snapped out of her memories and noticed her surrounding for the first time.

The tress were thicker and their leaves, though high in the canopy, were a dark green with a large surface area and similar to that of the rain-forests of her own first life.

Akiko found a small comfort walking through the silence, covered by the leaves and watching the sunlight filter through the leaves and see the particles of dust dance through the air, a sight she had seen mostly in photos and was glad to see this small piece of magic herself.

x

It took another two days of sleeping on damp ground and against uncomfortable tree trunks before Akiko began to see various signs of civilizations.

There were some signs along the road like the occasional smoke stacks from nearby fires, to man made signs of ' _WARNING, BANDITS ON THIS ROAD'_ but those were usually half rotted, covered in moss and lying broken on the ground. The main thing that had given it away was the massive stone wall that she could see in the distance that got larger the close she got.

On the Third day, Akiko crossed paths with a caravan travelling in the opposite direction. The caravan was made up two horse drawn carriages and what looked like twenty people.

Akiko heard the happy screams and laughter of children and the numerous stamps of feet and the faint sounds of the clopping of the horse's shoes. Not long after, the large group came into view.

The wagons were the first of what she could see with two people on the front of one of the wagons with the driver laughing together and the other who was closet to her, just sitting there smiling. Then it was the children who ran abroad, taking up more space than needed. Five of them, all running care free and full of life. Though they were scrawny and a little dirty, the three girls and two boys were very cute.

Akiko shifted her path until the group had almost the entire road to themselves. The driver closest to her had seen what she did and smiled with a nod of thanks.

Akiko looked out from under the brim of her hat and gave an easy going smile in response and looked at the group before looking at the driver again. In return, he merely laughed and waved.

"Where are you headed?" Akiko called as she came closer to the driver.

"We're going to Suna!" He yelled back while brushing his fringe length hair back.

"Safe travels then!" Akiko moderated her voice as the passed each other.

"Thanks! You too!" He called in reply

Akiko grinned at the back of the man as she turned for another look.

 _'Suna, eh? I would like to visit that place. Preferably after the red head calms down some more.'_ She thought to herself as she observes the rest of the caravan.

There were women and men walking along the wagons, some with happy, hopeful smiles others with regretful and wistful looks. What made her frown were the two pregnant women, who looked to be about in the second trimester, sitting on the wagons giggling with each other.

She wasn't sure if they should be traveling in their condition but from the worried looks the two men dressed in farmers clothing with a small sack hanging from their backs, shoot each other as they trail after the women, they appeared to be set on this journey and were not to be swayed otherwise.

Silently, Akiko hopes that there is a physician or at least a midwife traveling with them should the babies come early.

The children run past her and catch her by surprise as they shout their excitement of leaving.

Akiko stares at them with a fond smile and a longing, one she had experienced before. It seemed that in both her lives, one of her greatest desires would be to have children of her own. Laughing just as carefree as the ones in front of her now.

Shaking her head, Akiko carries on walking down the path nodding politely at those who smiled their greetings.

This alone was a good enough reason to have a drink.

x

Akiko passed the welcoming sign of 'Welcome to Tanzaku Gai' with little fanfare, only giving it a passing glance, absently noting the cracks along the board and the sun worn colouring before promptly forgetting it again.

The gates of the city were opened like a wide gaping mouth, old stones worn by wear and tear, and in some places, bricks were missing chucks while others seemed to be covered in a sheen of green which Akiko assumed was moss.

She passed the two guards of the gates with her head bowed to hide her face and walked in. As soon she was clear of the gates, Akiko noticed that the atmosphere changed. It seemed lighter than before and not just that but also more...contained, such a small change that she hadn't noticed it until now.

With a small frown, she wandered through the streets intent on finding that drink.

x

Seeing other living people on the streets as Akiko searched for a bar sent a wave of relief through her. She had missed seeing people in general, just seeing them as alive and moving around her like water, was nice. It was the warm feeling of not being the only one, of not being alone.

After leaving that tea shop, getting to know Fumiko and Ekio, caring for Kakashi and then just to leave? That had left her desolate for a time but seeing all this people released a weight in her chest that she had carried from that shop.

It was just like the time when she left Iwate, just like leaving them.

Akiko knew that humans were social creatures but to have that odd feeling of loneliness and loss suddenly vanish at the mere sight of people made it all the more real to her. With a wry smile, Akiko continued scanning the signs hanging from the tops of shops for something that even remotely indicated a bar.

As she continued to search, Akiko could just hear music playing softly. Her own curiosity demanded that she find the origin of that song, which was something she did happily.

Her ears led her through winding streets, small an-cloves and past some small gardens before she came to stop at the front of what she had intended to find. A bar.

Though the characters and the general world seemed to hold a Japanese feel, these characters were Chinese and that was something she could understand.

"醉生，梦死" which roughly translated into "Live Drunk, Die Dreaming." Something that had her giving the place a quizzical look before she entered.

x

The room was dark with little light, alive with small murmurs of quiet conversation and the faint playings of some sort of base instrument that sounded like a saxophone. There was no smoke, which is something Akiko is very grateful for.

Akiko casts a glance around the place before moving to a corner where the little light can just reach. The people that are here are somber and respectful of the silence and given that it is only midday, they must have something to remember and morn. That Akiko can understand.

Akiko has her own losses that she morns, Sayuri is one and surprisingly another is Mamoru. At the time she thought that Iwate was the cause of her ache, that she could settle down with Mamoru and Sayuri and live out that happy life that she had wanted. Of course she had noticed the looks that Mamoru had given her and eventually got her on a date.

Those first two years were filled with laughter and happiness and one almost proposal. Akiko was so ready to settle down and *stay*, she was so sure that she had found her ache. Then she lost Sayuri and let Mamoru slip from being her boyfriend and almost fiance back to being the awkward 'just friends'. In the end, she was never sure who ended the relationship, whether it was either of them or it something that just faded over time. Akiko stares at the faint darkness, her head muddled by emotions from the past when she catches sight of a moving figure.

Akiko can just see the moving figure of the waitress she flags for a drink and there is something that troubles her with how she looks. The woman looks pregnant, at least almost full term pregnant and when said waitress brings Akiko her drink, her suspicions are confirmed.

Akiko sips are the Sake as she watches the woman collect orders and deliver drinks. Those here seem to know her and give the woman hefty tips from the amount of notes passed.

 _'Probably just trying to make ends meet, especially with a baby on the way.'_ Akiko thought. There wasn't really a question as to why a pregnant woman would be working when she is almost ready to give birth.

In this world, just like in her own, money is essential for life. Without it, a person could starve if they didn't know how to live off the land or die from a lack of medical care simply because they cannot pay the bill to see a doctor or buy some medicine. This woman most likely needs the money to see a Doctor or a midwife or simply just to survive.

There are any number of things that could push an expectant mother to such ends, some that Akiko understands herself. A mother would do anything to ensure that her child would have the best life she could possibly give them. That was what she did for her children and what Akiko's mother did for her, both her mothers.

Akiko doesn't doubt that the woman may have borrowed money for help but with the pride that she walked with, she finds that idea sketchy at best. And so Akiko watches the woman work as she drinks her sake and wonders how to offer the lady her services without trying to insult her.

x

Akiko is there for a total of three hours before the pregnant woman leaves and she admits to herself that she really should find some accommodation for the next few weeks.

She drinks her last small cup in one go, relishing the burn of the spirit along her throat before getting up and paying for the bill.

She leaves the building with some giddy euphoria and the tingling sensation in her limbs and knows, in that intellectual part of her brain that she just a bit drunk.

Her task not forgotten, Akiko sets out in a straight line to find some accommodation and if some people find her acting strange to their taste, well then that's not really her problem.

x

While Akiko could walk in a straight line, the people of the streets found themselves subject to unexpected close up staring before nodding solemnly and apologizing.

"I'm sorry, so very sorry." in a voice of deep regret before wandering off and doing it to the next person she met.

(Unknown to her, all of those...victims had hurried to the nearest doctor and begged for a diagnosis or a cure.)

(Many of the doctors were baffled by these occurrences.)

As Akiko continued to wander the streets scaring the poor civilians, she was unaware of one that one set of eyes following her movements and she couldn't see the leering grin on the faces of a few men that had followed her out of the bar.

x

Akiko continued to wander the streets with the vague idea of finding a place to sleep accompanied by the softest feeling of urgency. She continued to walk in a daze before there was a hard yank on her arm and Akiko was sheltered in darkness.

Still in her tipsy and drunk state of mind, Akiko didn't have the pretense to scream. She remained quiet and stared eyes wide at the two pale slim hands clutching at her arm.

Akiko traces the arm with her eyes and it leads to a woman who stares beyond Akiko with fear in her eyes.

Akiko can feel her brows furrow at the sight of the woman's fear, who looks vaguely familiar.

' _Why is she so scared? Is something sc-'_ Akiko's thoughts are cut off by the sound of jeers and something made of glass smashing on the ground.

"Where's that bitch!" A rough voice called out, gravelly with the sound of a man spending too long in bars and not long enough outside of the smoke.

"I wanted some pussy!" Calls another, this one doesn't sound as rough but just as disgusting.

Now Akiko understands why the woman fears. The woman is fearing for the both of them but with her own mind so fogged, Akiko couldn't find a right path to confront them. All she could think of was tying them to helium balloons and watching them fly off into the distance.

That and clowns. She never really liked clowns, especially with all the make up on their face and those really big red lips. And when they smiled it never ceased to creep her out, seeing that small bit of white in that see of red.

There is a tug on her arm as the woman takes her further into the shadows and down street as three men pass by the small alleyway. Akiko doesn't resist, she follows the woman with no reservation as they wind around corners and under windows and bridges.

Their pace slows down as they approach a small indent in the wall. Above, there are lights that shine through the windows and the paper thing walls.

Akiko sees this but can't quite take it in and process it like she normally would, so she stares at the gray walls and the thin wooden support that runs across them with an odd sort of detachment.

Her continued stare is interrupted by another insistent tugging from the woman in front of her.

There is the light of a doorway that Akiko can see in the peripherals of her vision but all her attention is focused on the slim, pretty and pale hand that is tugging her. More specifically, her fingers.

The woman has pretty fingers that are shaped and curled smoothly, unlike her own slightly square-ish fingers. Her's weren't that square but they didn't have that gently shape that Akiko's mother did and, even though it was something small, she really did envy anyone who had those fingers.

The hand is removed, and a dark hue of green takes it's place. Next there are two point of warmth on her shoulders and Akiko is gently guided to sit in what feels to be a bed.

A sudden yawn erupts out of her once she feels the smooth covers.

She lays down without protest and promptly falls asleep.

x

Morning comes along with the type of head ache that Akiko _knows_ comes for after a night of drinking, having felt it before. And even though she vows never to do it again, she still does but at least she was with friends.

There is a smooth puffy thing under her face, with a pleased sigh, Akiko snuggles in further when the thought of where she was suddenly struck her.

Akiko's body stiffened but she didn't open her eyes as she attempted to remember the night before.

She remembers coming out of the bar and wandering the streets, Akiko winces because that was not the smartest thing to do, and then being taken into an alleyway to...escape three men. After that, all she gets is a blank.

Now that she has some of the events of the night straight in her head, Akiko listens for noise in where ever she is.

The low murmuring of voices drift through the walls and although Akiko can't tell what they are saying, she does know that whoever is speaking is a woman. While Akiko doesn't know who helped her, but she does have faith in the solidarity of women. She only hopes it will be enough.

Akiko forces her eyes open in spite of the pain from the head ache and light. She needs to get her bag, she knows she has something for the headache. She sits up slightly and squints at the room, looking for her brown bag and when she doesn't see it, a jolt of panic buzzes though her.

' _Where is my bag?!'_ She can feel the panic tighten her stomach, that pit of lead that only comes with the fear of having lost something important.

That bag didn't just contain her money and medical herbs, but it also contained what small momentous she had taken from rain and that one photo with everyone she loved together. Akiko couldn't lose it! She needed that bag!

Clenching her eyes shut, Akiko forces her panic to recede, clasping her hands a focus and taking one shuddering breath to completely get her panic under control.

' _Now I need to find out where I am and hopefully get back to that bar and pray that my bag was kept and not stolen.'_ Akiko thinks to herself, the hope that her bag is still in the bar is faint, she knows that what most likely happened is that some waiter or customer found her bag and decided they'd keep it for themselves. Maybe even the bar keep.

She gingerly sits up, ignoring the way her hair just flops down, and takes some first wobbly steps to regain her balance. The head ache is still very much there but Akiko does have some success in pushing it back. She doesn't quite stumble across the room but it is very close.

There isn't a door but a paper thing screen that slides open without warning and on the other side is the woman from last night, who she now recognizes as the waitress from the same bar.

The woman has a startled look in her eyes when she sees Akiko walking around. The surprise fades as the woman waddles forward and gently grips Akiko's arm with one had and guides her back to the bed.

"Thank you for helping me last night." Akiko's voice is scratchy, she can feel the difficultly speaking as the sound scrape against her throat.

She can see the pregnant woman wince in sympathy before opening her mouth to speak while handing her a small cup of water.

"We're both women and we need to stick together." The jibe comes short as the woman turns her perpetually sad and slightly droopy eyes to her.

"That we do." Akiko gives her a tight smile but they both understand what is not spoken, in a world such as this, it can't be avoided that women would be thought of as weak. Akiko suspects that some, even though listed as shinobi, would feel the sting of sexism.

"I'm Akiko." Akiko introduced herself, it felt wrong not to since for all intents and purposes, this woman had saved her.

"Maki" Her response is subdued but not timid, as if exhausted but from what, Akiko has a faint idea.

"How far are you along?" Akiko asked since the silence shared had begun to turn awkward.

"8 months, I'm almost due." The woman stated with a fond smile but the gleam in her eyes was dimmed.

"Then why are you still working?" Akiko asks, curiosity and worry genuine in her tone. Akiko had known other mothers in her previous life that would work while pregnant but none this close to labor, even with the demand of putting food of the table, working this close was practically waiting for disaster.

"I need the money to see a doctor." There was a bitter smile on her lips as she continued to rub circles on her belly.

' _A doctor? Could something be wrong with the baby?'_ Akiko thought with increased worry.

"Is it the baby?" Akiko asked because if she can help, she would. It wouldn't just be to return the favour but also it was the fact that this was a new life coming into the world and it wouldn't do for a baby to be born only to have the mother die.

There was no answer on Maki's end but the silence was telling enough.

"I'm a doctor, well a medic. Please tell me what is wrong and I'll see if I can help." Akiko says, she doesn't promise that she can perform miracles because without a proper theater there is little she can do and then there is the fact that she can not manipulate chakra.

Akiko can see the stiffening in the woman's back and can read the desperation in her body. Maki doesn't turn suddenly but the hope and shock war with her own acceptance of her reality.

"Can you?" Comes the painfully quiet plea.

"Tell me what's wrong." Akiko remains firm because she needs to know if she can help, if she can change something.

Maki hesitates before taking Akiko's hand and placing it on the top her stomach and then Akiko knows, even with the head ache of a hangover, she knows what the problem is.

The baby is positioned the wrong way, it's feet will leave the womb first. Not only that but there is the certainty that Maki will die from blood loss when the baby is born.

"I can fix this bu-" Akiko doesn't even finish her sentence before she has Maki crying happily in her arms.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thankyou!Thankyou..." Maki's words blur together as the sheer amount of relief in her tone causes Akiko's own eyes to tear up in response. She hugs the woman back, gently patting her on the shoulder as the grateful sobs subside.

"I just need to get my bag" Akiko finishes gently. Maki pulls back with a watery smile, nodding.

"Right, right. After I brought you here, I went back to the bar to see if you had left anything behind. Gorou had seen you leave the place and noticed the bag and kept it for when you returned. I got it from him." Maki gives Akiko a small smile but there is a nervous energy about her. Akiko knows that the energy is from hope.

"I'll go get it!" With a slightly brighter smile, Maki vanishes though the screen door leaving Akiko staring after her thoughtfully

* * *

 _So thoughts?_

 _I'm using the fact that half of the Japanese characters are Chinese to explain the name of the bar. I also apologize for the language used. I hate men like that but in reality, stuff like that happened and those kinds of people exist._

 _And in case it is not obvious, Akiko is not a virgin, there was an active relationship with Mamoru. Stuff like that can happen when you live in the same place as someone and look after a kid together._

 _There is also another reason as to why Maki helped Akiko..._

 _So please R and R!_


	15. A Desperate Woman and A Scary Mother

_Hello! Here is the second chapter before I leave you for a month._

 _This has been beta'd by bleeding-roses-16 so enjoy!_

* * *

That day was the first and last day that I ever drunk by myself. The reality of my situation never really sunk in until much later. So much could have gone wrong if Maki hadn't been kind and generous enough to make sure I was fine after leaving the bar. I knew that she hadn't helped me from the bottom of her heart, but she was desperate enough to help a stranger and hope they could repay her in some way that would both guarantee the safety of her and her unborn child.

That need to protect your child and ensure they would have a good life with them in it, was something only a mother would understand and it was also something I understood myself.

And taking such a huge gamble like that? Well that was something I could admire about her and I am certain that if I were in Maki's position I would have done no less for the life of my child and for the joy of watching them grow, something that most consider almost scared.

 _Excerpt from the memoirs of Akiko Hatake nee Reko_

 _Page 130_

x

Maki doesn't take long before returning with Akiko's bag. She's eager to see the birth of her child, that nervous energy was something that Akiko herself experienced and is something that she is glad Maki can feel it too.

Once Akiko has her hands on her bag, the first thing she does is go straight to the herbs to get rid of her hangover headache. She pulls put two things, one folded package and a small vile with a yellow liquid.

"Could I get a cold cup of water?" Akiko asks politely, she is under no illusions that Maki is helping her out of the kindness of her heart. Said woman nods and quickly leaves the room.

Akiko turns her attention back to the folded package, she opens it to double check that it is indeed white willow bark. And it is, the white willow bark along with the vile of turmeric extract would negate the headache and the nausea she would feel if she ate anything.

Maki comes back into the room and hands Akiko the cup of water. Smiling gratefully at the woman, Akiko looks around the room for a place to put the cup.

The room has a homely feel, there is a painting of two people who look deeply in love and the woman in the painting is the same woman who is seated next to her.

(Akiko doesn't know what happened to the man in the painting but she knows not to ask Maki, it would be painful.)

There is a vase sitting on a small stand, in the right corner of the room, with freshly clipped flowers that have a variety of yellows and orange petal. To Akiko's left there is a tiny window with no curtains and just below the sill is a small desk that looks cluttered with papers.

It's an ideal spot where Akiko can mix the herbs into the water and get straight on helping Maki.

Akiko stands and walks with shaky legs to the table, pulling out the chair before she sits. Laying out the wrapped willow bark, Akiko swiftly opens it, breaks off a few small pieces and drops then into the water. Re-wrapping the willow, Akiko turns her attention to the turmeric. Six drops are added and the cup is gently swirled, the yellow colour spreads and encompasses the water.

 _'This is not going to taste nice.'_ Akiko thinks to herself in apprehension as she stares down the concoction. Steeling herself, Akiko lifts it to her lips and drinks.

The bitter taste is all she can think of and it takes everything she has not to gag from its strength and spit it back out. When Akiko feels the bark collecting at her teeth, she knows that she is near the concentrated part.

The next few swallows are beyond bitter, almost vomit worthy but it is over in a few seconds. Akiko can feel the medicine flowing down her oesophagus and she shivers at the feeling.

 _'I hate that.'_ The after taste of the spice is something she can live with. The strength of the taste is enough to send her headache running and for Akiko to focus on what is coming next.

Maki is sitting on the bed silently, her eyes focused on every movement that Akiko makes, the intensity of her stare causes Akiko's hair on the back of her neck to stand on end.

Akiko clears her throat before speaking.

"Maki, Can I get you to sit here please?" Akiko stands and gestures to the chair she just vacated. Maki stands as quickly as a pregnant woman can and sits down with such grace that surprised Akiko, especially for someone almost due.

(She was certainly never that graceful when she was pregnant!)

Akiko retrieves her acupuncture set from her bag resting at the base of the table. She spreads it out in front of Maki and hears her breath hitch at the sight of the long needles.

Like a good doctor, Akiko starts to explain what is happening.

"On the top of your head is a pressure point that forces the baby to shift from the position...it is in now to the proper position for birth **,** but you are going to need to take the day off, relax for a bit and sleep. Either by late afternoon today or tomorrow the baby will have shifted position and then you have a much higher chance of surviving the birth." Akiko explains with practiced professionalism.

"O-okay. Please begin." Akiko can tell Maki is scared from the tremor of fear in her voice. Akiko gently rubs the centre of her head with a finger while taking one of the long needles out of its hold.

Akiko gently eases the needle in, twisting as she goes. Once done, she rummages through her bag for some spare paper. Finding a piece, Akiko rolls it up and uses her two pieces of flint to set it afire. Using the heat from the flame, she warms the tip of the needle taking extra care not to set the temperature too high.

Once the length of the paper had been almost completely burned, with parts of the burnt paper lying on Maki's black hair, Akiko gingerly removes the needle and places back in the leather pouch from where it came.

"Now you need to sleep it off and give time for the baby to change position." Akiko tells the woman and directs her to the bed from which Akiko woke. Returning to her bag, Akiko takes out another small vile of liquid, this time with a greenish tinge to it.

Akiko empties the cup still lying on the table of the white willow bark and rinses it of the turmeric before she pours approximately thirty drops in to her used cup before filling it with water from her water skin.

She takes the cup to the expectant mother on the bed who look at the cup with a wariness that Akiko approves of.

"This is extract of the passionflower which will induce sleep for a few hours and give time for your baby to change positions." Akiko speaks softly, her tone reassuring. Maki looks at Akiko once more before snatching the sedative and drinks it one go.

"How long will it take to work?" Maki asks as she resettles herself on the bed while handing the cup back to Akiko.

"About an hour." Akiko answers promptly.

"Right." Maki says, her tone leaking scepticism as she closed her eyes and prepared for sleep.

"I'll stay nearby and keep an eye on you? Alright?" Akiko asks **,** suddenly unsure with herself. Technically Maki hadn't given Akiko permission to wander the house and explore to her hearts content and there was the fact that she didn't know if there was anyone else living with Maki. Akiko didn't want to randomly intrude on someone in this place and gave a bad first impression.

"Right. I'm going to go and check the kitchen." Akiko speaks once more when it is clear that her previous question is unanswered and considering the faint snoring, Maki wouldn't mind if Akiko just explored _a bit._ Would she?

x

Just like the small room Akiko had woken up in, the rest of the small house has that homely feeling, that same feeling she would in her own home if she finds her ache and at times, in some of the rooms the warm feeling of the house makes Akiko feel like an intruder in a very private moment.

Akiko also stumbled on nursery that looked complete and at the same time there was the lingering emotion of sorrow and grief. Her brows furrow as the question of the where a bouts of father of Maki's baby is comes back to mind except with a more saddening answer than him just leaving.

The room is painted in the warm colours of yellow and orange with a small cot standing off the side, toys litter the floor but are covered in a thin layer of dust. There are more paintings of the pair and some of them have a third member, an older woman. Others have scenery instead of people.

Akiko doesn't spend long in the room and with a quiet sigh, she leaves the nursery and slides the screen door behind her.

(It is not her place to judge or see.)

x

Walking back to check on Maki, Akiko passes by what she assumes to be the front door which happens to open unexpectedly. Leaving her staring at the familiar face of an old woman who also stares back at Akiko with surprise, which quickly morphs into suspicion.

 _'This is not going to be fun.'_ Is the first thought that goes through Akiko's mind when she sees the narrow eyed stare.

x

"What have you done to my daughter?!" Is the first thing that comes out of the old woman's mouth upon seeing Maki's sleeping form. Her eyes are a hard green, steeled with surprising hate and not so surprising suspicion.

Akiko is taken aback by the blatant accusation in the woman's tone, enough so that it take her a few more seconds to even form a coherent reply.

"She's just asleep!" Akiko replies defensively, hoping that it would be enough to deter the old menace.

"I asked what you did to her! Not what she is doing!" The old...she-monster snaps at Akiko, uncaring of how loud her voice is.

"I gave her some herbs to help her sleep!" Akiko snaps back, her shock turning into indignation and anger just as fast.

"Oh! So you poisoned her!" the she-monster says loudly while taking a few steps forward.

(Akiko doesn't admit it, but this woman terrifies her.)

"I did not! I only did what she asked!" Akiko is now matching the strength, anger and loudness of the old woman.

"Oh, and what did she ask?!" The woman is now shouting above Akiko, her eyes cold and face stiff.

"TO FIX THE POSITION OF HER DAMN BABY!" Akiko's extra loud declaration cuts off what the woman was going to say, her mouth opens and closes but nothing comes out. This impromptu shouting match has Akiko panting from the effort and emotions.

"T-t-to fix the p-p-position of her b-b-baby?" She stutters, all fight drained from her body. She is stunned by the shout but more by the implications of what Akiko had said.

"Yes." Akiko nods and sighs. There isn't a place to sit to offer to the woman, who Akiko is certain is Maki's mother, and so she stands there awkwardly.

"Can you?" There is that same tentative hope aimed at her, just like Maki and just as her daughter, the woman has the same glean of suspicion under all that hope.

"I have treated her and hopefully either by the time Maki wakes or tomorrow morning, the baby will have shifted to the proper birthing position." Akiko explains gently while avoiding calling the baby an 'it', an extra precaution in case the woman goes off again.

"I see." The woman releases a sigh before turning away and gesturing Akiko to follow.

"You can explain the details in the Kitchen. I'm Isamu, Maki's mother." The she-... Isamu directs as she leaves the room.

Akiko casts a cursory glance at the sleeping form of Maki, who hadn't moved an inch during the loud shouting match between Akiko and her mother, as testament to who tired she must be from working while pregnant, and for that Akiko is very glad. It also shows that the passionflower is doing its job in keeping the woman asleep which also makes Akiko happy.

Once everything seems in-order Akiko leaves with a sigh and follows after the footsteps of Isamu.

"Hurry up! I'm not getting any younger here!" Isamu crows from the kitchen. Akiko clenches her jaw before taking a breath and continuing to make her way there, being deliberately slow in doing so.

x

"So you're helping my daughter from the goodness of your heart? I don't buy it" Isamu snorted, cynically amused by the explanation that Akiko had given.

Akiko sighed, that was not exactly what she had said but apparently it all that Isamu took from her explanation.

"Your daughter helped me first, I'm just returning the favour." Akiko simplified through grit teeth, this woman was really starting to annoy her.

"Oh? And just what did she help you with? Hm? Saving you from being raped by men?" Isamu snaps at Akiko coldly. Akiko reels back from the frontal attack as the woman says what could of happened, something she had avoided thinking about until now.

"That was your own fault! You were the one drinking and you were the one wandering the streets like a drunk. Now if my daughter doesn't wake up tomorrow or the baby doesn't change position I am going to call the city guards on you and have you locked up for lying and killing innocents." Isamu threatened and Akiko knew that this woman would keep her word.

"Fine. Til tomorrow." Akiko agrees to her terms with tense words, it wasn't like she could do anything else.

"Here is the address to the place, make sure you don't leave the city." Isamu hands Akiko a slip of paper, she doesn't read it, she's too proud to even look at the paper until either the woman is out of sight or Akiko is elsewhere.

With the paper tightly clenched in her hand, Akiko turns heel and grabs some money from her bag in Maki's room and leaves through the front door.

x

Akiko looked at the sky but couldn't see the sun since it was blocked by the other buildings surrounding the area. The streets weren't deserted but it was close.

Still fuming from her fight with Isamu, Akiko turns right and just walks down the street with no destination.

 _'That woman! That no-good arrogant bitch! How dare she threaten me with the city guards! I could leave and be gone without a trace and then how would you find me? Huh?!'_ Akiko thinks in fury which quickly deflates as she does understand the source of Isamu's anger.

 _'Isamu_ is _Maki's mother and seeing her there and not waking up would put any mother into panicking. And what she said about it being my fault is also true. I did go to that bar and I did get drunk there. It's hard to get angry at someone when you understand why.'_ Her thoughts reason out as the furious pace of her walk slows down to a dawdle.

 _'Not only that, but my own conscious wouldn't let me leave.'_ Her own personal moral code made itself clear.

Akiko releases a heavy sigh before picking up the pace as she heads in the direction, she hopes will lead her to main shops and maybe some new clothes.

 _'I'll just have to wait until Maki wakes up.'_ Resigned to this thought, Akiko moves on.

x

Throughout her walk to what Akiko assumed is the city center, she could see a wall rising in the far reaches of her vision.

Akiko had seen the large gates and had known that this city has a stone wall surrounding it but for some reason, even though knowing this it does nothing to stop the feeling of being caged. It is a feeling she definitely didn't like, with that in mind Akiko decides not to stay too long in the city **,** planning to leave in a week rather than stay her usual month.

Arriving at a larger street, Akiko can see more shops and open bars signalling that she had indeed arrived at the main street. The air wasn't as fresh as the woods she had traveled, something that she noticed acutely. While a small detail it impacted her entire view about the place.

Akiko moves past the open bars in search for a clothing shop or stall, she does want another set of clothes similar to the current ones she's wearing and sturdy enough to last through months of sun and general travel wear and tear and she had given one of her extra sets to Kakashi.

It doesn't take long for Akiko to find a street vendor selling what she is looking for, there are clothes lined on a rack under a portable cover. The vendor is a man wearing what looks to be fine clothing but Akiko doubts it is.

She chooses a longs sleeve shirt that is a size too big, pants that require a small length of rope to keep them up and a nice red wool scarf. Akiko can feel the man's eyes on her back and doesn't flinch when she turns to meet his gaze.

On cue, a sleazy grin crawls on to his face made worse by his greasy hair. An uncomfortable pit forms in her stomach from his expression.

 _'I hate men like this. Going after people's money like a shark after blood.'_ She thinks to herself as she forces a polite smile.

"Ah! I see you've gone for the farmer's range and that's a fine scarf you've chosen. For the two it'll be 2000¥" The vendor says as he deliberately looks her up and down. Akiko's smile stiffens as the small pit becomes a ball of lead.

' _Over pricing things too.'_

"The shirt and pants are not worth that. 1500¥" Akiko snaps back immediately, her sense of excitement taking over.

"1750¥" The man snaps back instantly, his face souring.

"1450" Akiko returns with more vigor

"1550" The vendor's face starts to turn red, Akiko resists the urge to giggle.

"1150"

"1250" He says and Akiko grins.

"Deal." Akiko smiles as she hands over the amount agreed and swaggers out of the stall.

 _'I love bartering'_ Akiko thinks with a grin.

x

The smell of food wafted in Akiko's direction causing her stomach to grumble in response. She didn't know what time it was, but her stomach just said it was time for food. Any excuse for not returning to Maki's house was a good one.

(Even though it makes her feel like a small child avoiding her mother's wrath.)

Akiko enters the nearest noodle shop and sits at a small table in the centre of the room, while it might be awkward to be sitting alone **,** there are a few benefits to her situation. Such as listening on conversations and keeping track of the general world and the atmosphere in this town.

A waiter comes and she orders beef noodle soup, something that will take time arrive and eat. Something she has in excess at this very moment.

x

There is some trouble finding her way back to Maki's house, after her long meal of a few hours, mainly because every house and alleyway look exactly the same. Akiko is definitely not going to miss this place when she leaves.

But there are few kind people willing to help her out, no doubt to be the first ones to have new gossip to chat about to their neighbors if the excited gleam in their eyes is anything to tell.

The small wooden door looms before and Akiko dreads to return, if only to avoid Isamu. Taking one more deep steadying breath, Akiko knocks on the door and waits.

She can hear the sound of footsteps pounding on the floor as someone rushes to the door. Said door is violently wrenched open and suddenly there is a mass of black and grey hair in her sight, a sobbing Maki and from the doorway, a teary eyed and grateful Isamu.

Akiko stiffly raises her arms and gently pats the crying woman on the back, so very lost with what is happening.

Maki raises her head and grins despite the crying.

"Thank you for helping me and my baby!" Maki thanks her again, Akiko has a vague idea as to why but what has caught her attention other than the crying Maki or the smiling Isamu is the crowd the group are starting to gather.

Akiko can see open windows and door and it makes her uncomfortable. She would rather prefer it if she would remain anonymous for the rest of her life.

"Why don't we talk about this inside?" Akiko asks in Maki's ear. She nods tearfully and walks back inside the house.

Akiko hurriedly follows and when she passes Isamu, the older woman just grins with her teeth.

x

Akiko is seated at a small dining table with Maki opposite her and Isamu on her right.

The atmosphere is a mix between Akiko's confusion and apprehension and the happiness of Maki and Isamu.

"I have to apologize for my earlier actions." Isamu admits quietly, looking down at the table.

"You have nothing to apologize for. I understand the fear you had felt when you saw Maki and was unable to awaken her." Akiko refuses the apology, because in the same situation but in Isamu's shoes, she would have done the same there and in this time period, it was natural to be suspicious of unknown people.

The woman sighs at Akiko's words.

"You may understand but I still apologize. I was overly harsh with you and for that I am sorry." Isamu says while looking Akiko in the eyes.

"In that case, I accept." Akiko smiles at the woman who is much like herself when her own children had been threatened.

"And I have to thank you as well. Though you could have refused to help, I am eternally grateful that you did. Thank you Akiko" Maki stands and bows. Akiko rushes out of her seat and to Maki, urging her to retake her seat.

"You shouldn't do that in your condition! You're already so close to labour." Akiko chastises the woman who smiles back sheepishly.

"Akiko is right, you shouldn't even be working!" Isamu agrees with Akiko and joins forces in getting the woman to stop all strenuous activity.

"Alright! Alright! I'm go back to bed" Maki surrenders and waddles out of the room.

"That girl is going to be the death of me one day." Isamu mutters softly under her breath but Akiko could hear it and the unmistakable love and fondness in her words. Akiko grins to herself when a worrying thought comes to her.

"Do you have a midwife ready?" Akiko asks concerned, she remembered the pregnant women leaving the village earlier yesterday. She didn't know if they had one.

"Ha! I don't have a midwife, I am the midwife!" Isamu crows at Akiko with a grin that looks almost shark-like.

"So don't worry at all! I've delivered more babes than years you were alive!" Isamu continues, Akiko can only contribute her giddiness to the success of her procedure and with that woman so happy it makes her want to leave the town faster.

 _'Maybe tomorrow I'll get out of this place.'_ Akiko thinks as she grins back shakily at the woman who looked to be doing a...jig around the table.

 _'Or make that this afternoon.'_ Akiko's grin starts to feel uncomfortable as the woman continues to…dance.

x

While Akiko didn't leave that afternoon, she did stay long enough to witness and assist in the birth of Maki's son, Kei, who was born head first and screaming with his strong little lungs.

A birthing, while being utterly painful for the mother, was closer to disgusting to the outsider or someone not a midwife. A strong stomach was needed, and it was something she barely got through. Though it did provide insight for the other side of giving birth, now she understood why sometimes men fainted.

Akiko had left with the blessing and invitation to visit should she be in the area and Akiko assured that she would do so. Not only had she left with the blessings of her new friends but also a new hat, this time rimmed with red string on the outer edges and a place strip of cloth to keep her new straw hat in place.

x

Akiko once more walked down the road that she had arrived on, the gates behind her and the sun ahead.

 _'Perhaps now I will visit Konoha. I am curious as to what it will look like in person, I just hope I don't run into anyone important.'_ Akiko grins despite her apprehension follows the sign that says.

'To Konoha' chipped deep in the wood with an arrow pointing in the direction she walks.

* * *

 _So thoughts?_

 _There, an alter-motive that turned out for the best!_

I know that the acupuncture thing sounds a little far fetched but it is something that happened to my uncle. When he was still in the womb, he was also positioned the wrong way and a doctor came in and did the needle in the head thing and it work! The next day he was in the right position! I did add some stuff, but that was only because it was odd just having a needle being stuck in the head.

Passionflower is also a sedative but it is supposed to be more gentle than Hop and since Maki works so hard, it just relaxes her and then volia! She's asleep!

Isamu is a terrifying woman, at least I hope I portrayed her properly and we can all guess what happened to Kei's father. It would also explain why Isamu is so protective of her, a single daughter who had a husband who died and who is also having a baby while still working. I'd be damn worried too!

I will see you all next month!


	16. Rain, Chakra and Konoha

_Hello everyone!_

 _I am so sorry for my extended but completely unintended absence! I had just started Uni and was doing my best to get on top of everything and finish of this story! I think I've found a balance but I warn you that the updates will take longer this time! Thanks to all those who still followed and kept reviewing! I finished this chapter for you!_

 _This has been beta'd by bleeding-roses-16 and she has done a wonderful job will all the chapters and stick with me this far!_

 _Til the end, Enjoy!_

* * *

Isamu is a terrifying woman, she really is. That woman reminds me of either a mother bear protecting her cubs or a wolf protecting her pup, either way she is not to be trifled with. Suffice to say, that even to this day, that woman commands respect out of anyone she meets. Within the first ten minutes of spending close quarters with the woman.

Another thing that really stuck with me was the birth of Maki's son, Kei. While I was a doctor and I have operated on people, nothing could have prepared me for that. It wasn't just the fact there was a a fair amount of blood or the fact a small person was emerging, it was the screaming. It was the sound of pained screaming from Maki and how it sounded to me. It was the screaming of someone being ripped open from the inside out that made it unbearable, for me anyway.

But Kei was born and then a different kind of screaming filled the air, though it should be called crying, and watching that unconditional love fill Maki's face when holding her child made my heart ache for the children I had left behind and the ones I yearned to have, at the time anyway. It was both a pleasant and unpleasant situation, but a memory to be cherished none the less.

I still make time to see Isamu, Maki and Kei and each time I go, it feels more fun than the last. Though it could be attributed to being Kei's honorary aunt, that child really is a ball of energy! Reminds me of my own children!

 _Excerpt from the memoirs of Akiko Hatake nee Reko_

 _Page 136_

x

Akiko's journey to Konoha started out with good weather however that quickly deteriorated to a very unexpected rain, and not only was it unexpected, it was also very unpleasant.

 _'I hate the rain.'_ Akiko thought as she trudged through the down pour, feeling the water slide down her back and the mud squelch noisily under her feet.

She is without an umbrella and only a very thin leather rain coat but even with it on Akiko is still wet, considering the fact that it had taken some time to even get the rain coat on and by the time she did, she was already soaked.

Shivering from her already cold skin, Akiko continues to make small head way in the heavy rain.

 _'That's it, I'm just going to have to find a place to sleep now. I can't see more than three feet in front of me!'_ Akiko looks to the trees, having decided to make camp early than be swept away by possible flood waters.

It had only been a week since she had left Tanzaku Gai and she could already see the trees shifting form once again. This time many of the trees were long and tall with barely any branches low enough for her to climb, there are the occasional low stooping trees or the new growing ones but unfortunately for her, none of them even reached another branch that Akiko could climb on.

She is having absolutely no luck in finding a climbable branch. Akiko doesn't want to stay in the rain any longer than she has to, with her dislike for the rain increasing, she chooses to take drastic measures. After all, desperate times call for desperate measures.

While there are no branches with in climbing distance but there are branches within jumping distance.

"This is not a good idea." Akiko mutters to herself. She is aware that it is not a good idea but it is one that she is going to do anyway.

Having already climbed a small tree, she balances precariously on both the highest and strongest branch with her arms spread wide in an instinctual way of keeping her balance as she walks closer the end and the other branch.

 _'Please let me get this on the first try.'_ Akiko pleads to any of the deities who could be listening and makes her jump.

She makes the jump and can feel the bark start to dig into the skin of her fingers. The rain doesn't help in the slightest, not when her fingers starts to slip. Gritting her teeth, Akiko heaves herself up slowly shuffles towards the trunk of the tree, where there are more branches she can climb.

The closer she gets to the trunk of the tree, the less rain she can feel splashing against her skin, making her sigh in relief when she grabs a hold of another branch to both steady and pull herself onto another branch were she has something more sturdy and solid beneath her feet.

While the tree shelters Akiko from the rain, it did very little to stop the strong winds that were starting to pick up.

"If it's not one thing then it's another." Akiko mutters to herself as she searched for another place to hide, this time from the wind.

The rain had reached the point where visibility is almost non-existent, and having the wind blow around debris, such as loose leaves and massive changes of direction of the rain, it is very hard to clearly see the tree only a few meters in-front of her. However, while the visibility is quite poor in seeing detail, seeing shadows is a different matter altogether.

What Akiko presumed to be two trees over, was a rather large bore hole in the side of said tree, one that just might fit her. And from what squinting she could do, there were also enough branches to make a series of jumps to said hole. Or at least she hoped it was a hole.

With chattering teeth and a growing sense of fear, Akiko slowly inched forward clutching to the branch as the wind and rain battered her face and fingers.

Reaching the end of the branch she was currently on, she could just see the outline of the next branch, silently thanking her hat and hair stick was keeping her long and sometimes a pain in the neck of a hair out of her face but the brim hat was also turning out to be a major problem considering it was catching the wind.

The first set wasn't as close as she had hoped, she forces her jaw closed and takes a breath to calm herself for the less than clever and undoubtedly stupid move.

Opening her eyes, Akiko forces herself not to think, and jumps using the branch as a mini spring board.

Akiko's eyes widen and she can feel her heart falter as she misses the first branch and starts to fall.

In a desperate bid, Akiko lashes out with curled hands and reaches for anything that would stop her sudden fall.

Gravity suddenly makes itself known again as her hands hook onto lucky branch. Akiko can feel her muscles stretching and pulling the bones of her arms, almost dislocating her shoulders.

Breathing heavily from her sudden downward trip, Akiko looks around to the other branches in hopes of seeing how far she had fallen and prays that it wasn't too far. She would still make the effort to get to a maybe sanctuary but Akiko would like to save some of her strength for anything else that may happen.

She can't see the hole from here and nor can she distinguish the branch that she had jumped on.

 _'I feel like I've gotten lost in the desert or at least some place similar.'_ Akiko thought to herself in tired exasperation, there was no way of knowing from which direction she had come from, the visibility isn't getting any better, making it worse.

 _'I'll just keep climbing up and hope that I can still see the hole from here.'_ Akiko thinks with resignation and determination.

The thought to return to the ground does come to mind but she pushes it away, she's already up here and it would probably hurt more to come down. More than that, Akiko is also very stubborn.

Akiko heaves herself up, her arms trembling from the effort and the now slippery bark is not making it any easier especially when she stands on the branch with her shoes.

With one hand holding onto a branch above her, the other removes her shoes in favour of getting a better grip.

 _'I really hope I don't get any splinters from this!'_ Akiko bites her lip as slips the shoes in her bag and starts to climb.

Her limbs aren't as strong as they used to be when she had done hard labour nor her legs after staying in Rain for so long and so she struggles to climb up, while swearing that she will never put off exercise again.

As she climbs up with the wind slamming into her with growing force, Akiko searches for the hole that she had seen.

It takes Akiko longer than she had expected to reach where she had seen the hole, only this time she is sure that she is on a different side of the tree from where she started. At least the branch is closer to the than the one she had just crossed.

From there crossing over the next two branches are relatively easy and as she had hoped, the dark shadow that she had seen in the wood was indeed a hole in the trunk.

Sliding through the hole was a tight squeeze, one that required a lot of wiggling and sucking in her stomach to the point she was sure it was unnatural, before she hit the uneven and rough floor.

The interior is illuminated by sudden flashes of lightening, making Akiko very glad that she had made it in time, the space was limited with the enough room for her lie on an angle.

The thunder comes much delayed and Akiko breathes an unconscious sigh of relief.

Akiko leans against the wall of the trunk, sighing in relief.

A screech pierced the silence.

Akiko let out a small scream of surprised fear before pressing herself as far away from the sound as she could with her heart jumping like a rabbit. She couldn't stop the frightened whine that escaped her lips.

Another screech sounded, this time a softer pitch.

Forcing her heart calm slightly, Akiko peered into the dark. She could see a faint white...figure in the darkness, she waited for the next lightning strike to hopefully see what had made that sound.

Another screech. A flash of light.

For a second, Akiko could see everything, and in a small curve of a corner of the hollow was four white faced owls. Two small ones with a bit of fluff and two large ones. A family.

"Oh god, you four scared me!" Akiko spoke softly with cheer and a ridiculous amount of relief to the owl family that had made their nest in the bore hole.

One of the owls just screeched in response.

"...You won't tell anyone what just happened...Right?" Akiko questions, embarrassed by her sudden fright.

Another screech.

"Thanks!"

Akiko's cheer dies slightly when she starts shivering from the cold wind. She is exhausted from shivering and all that climbing, soaked and very cold. Akiko did not want to deal with any of this.

Akiko stuffs her hat through the hole, pointy part first before removing her raincoat and stuffing around the hat and through the gap, blocking both the wind and the rain.

One of the owls screech and Akiko decides to interpret it as questioning.

"The hat and rain coat will block the wind and rain so no more wet!" Akiko answers accordingly, pointedly ignoring the fact that the owl probably won't understand a word of what she is saying.

Akiko guesses that it's close to dinner but she is too tired to feel it let alone even getting the nuts out of her bag.

With a yawn, Akiko curls into a loose ball already feeling the grip of sleep taking her away.

"See you lot tomorrow..." The last thing she hears is a soft screech and the sound of something sharp jumping on the wood.

X

That night is full of dreams of her past, of people she hadn't seen in years, some she had forgotten from long ago, others she had met in her trip so far and of both her homes.

Akiko woke many times during the night, sometimes crying, sometimes with fear clinging to her every thought and sometimes with crippling nostalgia and sadness.

When she wakes for the final time, her mind is blurred, still chasing the already half-forgotten dreams. Her eyelids are heavy while the rest of her body feels sluggish and cold. And she's still so tired.

Akiko doesn't move from her position, already falling back into the grips of sleep.

 _Screech._

Akiko jolts awake at the shrill sound. Looking around in the dark, she can't see anyone or anything that might be in the same place as her.

 _Screech._

Softer this time, then she remembers the four owls.

Akiko forces herself up on trembling arms as she blindly reaches for her hat. She finds the edge and pulls it out letting it fall on the floor with herself too. The light glares though the opening causing Akiko to burrow into her arm, and away from the light and as she moves, her face brush against something soft and warm.

She looks up and see two of the small owls staring back at her in the small crook of her arms.

Akiko gives them a tired smile and opens her mouth to speak. Except no words come out and all she can feel is the constant ache in the back of her throat, her thirst for water and lethargy all mix together in a cacophony of sensation and demands of her body.

 _'Something's...wrong.'_ Akiko thought tiredly as she struggled to stay awake.

A startling and sudden pain cut right through any tiredness that Akiko had as she jolted awake.

Though she didn't sit up suddenly, her eyes did widen and she released a muffled shout of pain.

It seemed that one the owls was impatient at the lack of attention and bit Akiko in the arm.

That jolt of pain was what she needed to get herself aware enough to act on the knowledge that something was wrong with her.

Slowly she forced herself up into a sitting position, her shoulder muscles twinging in protest, and wary of the owl that had not moved after biting her.

With herself more alert, Akiko could acutely feel the cold that assaulted her sensors but when placing her hand on her forehead, all she could feel was intense warmth. Though it wasn't much to go on, Akiko felt safe enough to assume that she did have a fever.

 _'Looks...like the rain...and the climbing...didn't work together.'_ She thought wryly.

This wasn't the first time she had gotten sick, but it was the first time she had felt so weak.

With trembling hands, Akiko drags her pack closer to her before sticking her hand inside. It was hard to tell if anything had gotten wet from the rain since her hands are slick with sweat. Her fingers brush with the leather feel of her medicinal herbs.

Akiko pulls them out and almost swears when she sees the state they are in.

The leather is soaked and Akiko is almost sure that all of them are wet and probably have lost most, if not all of their properties. Even so, some if better than none.

Instead of opening them all and throwing them in frustration, Akiko gently opens a small section or just peaks through and it's just her luck that the white willow bark is in the last pouch.

With as steady hands as she can manage, Akiko gently drags a few strips and places then in her mouth and she starts to chew. The taste isn't as bad as it was with the turmeric, especially considering it only tasted like bark.

Akiko could feel her thought process speed up as the thick fog in her mind faded over time. Once the fog had faded, she became acutely aware of the various aches and pains from different points of her body.

Her shoulders and arms were stiff, every movement bringing more pain. Her leg muscles had cramped from being in that curled position.

The more she chewed on the bark, the less of her pains Akiko started to feel.

She had no idea how close she was to Konoha but staying here would do her no good. Hopefully the village wasn't too far away.

Maybe she could get a peek at their hospital, from what Akiko had heard around, their medicine was quiet advanced.

A quiet screech dragged Akiko out of her pondering and her attention back to her current situation.

"Thanks for getting me up." Akiko cracked a tired smile at the small owl.

Her eyes drifted back outside and noted that it was no-longer raining.

Akiko knew she isn't in the best condition but she wasn't going to leave it any later otherwise she would be to weak, much weaker then how she felt now, to travel let alone getting down from here.

With a goal in mind, Akiko places the White willow pouch back in her bag, once again promising to label the darn things, and removed her small pouch of now wet nuts.

Akiko takes out a hand full, making sure to give some to the owl family in two piles. One for the small one that still refuses to move from her vicinity and to the other three who are simply watching her with intelligent eyes.

"I know it's wet, but it's better than nothing. Right?" Akiko speaks to them as the three...inspect the nuts before only eating a few while the small one in front of her, who she will now call Atsu.

"Especially to you, Atsu." The bird doesn't react to the name, then again Akiko didn't really expect it to.

Akiko finishes her nuts and as she packs away her belongings and leaving them by the entrance. She turns back to the small family of owls; each are staring at her with wide eyes that almost creeped her out.

"Thanks again!" Akiko says with cheer before wiggling head first out of the small burrow and on to the tree branch right outside.

Akiko can feel the humid air on her cheeks, it's already warm and there really isn't much doubt that it's going to be very hot.

She reaches is for her bag and hat, placing them on her back and hanging on her neck respectively and begins her trek back down the tree.

The last branch is only a couple meters above the ground but it's also a couple of meters above hurts.

 _'This really wasn't the best idea'_ Akiko thinks in dread as she hangs on the branch, that same two meters above the ground.

Akiko looks straight at the ground at her bag lying haphazardly where she might land.

 _'I don't even know how to roll for this!'_ Akiko can feel her doubt of her ability increase to the point where all she wanted to do was climb back on the branch and not come down.

Not to mention the fact that her hands were slipping.

Even though Akiko was thinking this, she still let got and attempted to roll to not hurt her leg muscles further.

It only half worked with her ending in a very awkward roll with her legs surviving but it had caused unwanted strain on her back and its muscles.

With a pained grunt, she retrieves her bag and searches for the road to Konoha. It isn't far, considering she hadn't deviated _too_ far away. Akiko continues her journey accompanied by a recurring cough but thankfully no sniffles...yet.

X

Unknown to the travelling woman, she is being watched by four small figures perched on the same branch where the burrow had been located.

"What an interesting human." One of the larger figures states with a satisfied and curious tone in a gruff voice.

"Wonder if she suspected we were summons?" A smaller one asked with more of a childish glee.

"Highly doubt-full. Considering she is a civilian." The third flatly states, its voice calm and melodic, and definitely female.

"She named me Kind..." The youngest voice sighs dreamily as the small female owl watches with her family as the human woman slowly walks out of sight.

And as if having heard a call, all four tilt their heads to listen and promptly disappear in a puff of smoke as the four owl summons return back to their home dimension.

X

The warmth of the sun through the clouds and the constant motion of walking with arms swaying had alleviated some of the strain Akiko felt on her muscles which was very nice, however...

"Achoo!" Akiko sneezed, her nose had started running sometime after she had started walking.

 _'I really wish I had some tissues with me'_ Akiko thought strongly, missing the luxuries of both civilization and another time, as she once again deviated from the path to Konoha to retrieve a leaf to substitute.

 _'Not only is this unhygienic, but it also isn't very comfortable.'_ Her thoughts became irritated as the course surface of the leaf scrubs against her nose as she catches the snot.

With no bin insight, Akiko throws the leaf aside and continues to walk along the path to the Hidden Village of the Leaves.

X

It doesn't take Akiko long to arrive at the gates and she is honestly surprised at how close she was already to the place.

She stops at the wooden gates and looks up in awe, they are the biggest set of doors that she has seen so far. Open wide as they were made her feel small in comparison and not to mention that two massive hiragana that had been painted on the doors in what looked to be semi - faded red paint.

"...why does it have Hermitage written on its doors?" Akiko mumbles the question to herself before the answer came to her.

"Well I guess the village is supposed to be hidden but...a hermit's home?" She wonders with a tilted head.

"Well I suppose, each to their own." Akiko mutters while shaking her head and continues walking.

Her attention is taken away from the numerous buildings to the person who is walking towards her while occasionally waving at her.

Akiko stops abruptly and starts walking towards to the waving person.

The closer she gets, the more definite the person's features become prominent.

It's a man wearing a bandanna with a shine of silver in the middle of his forehead, with dark brown hair covering his right eye and what appears to be a quarter mask at his chin. Akiko's scan of the man moves further down, to the green flak jacket and deep blue shirt and pants.

 _'It's a pity that his cloths aren't tighter.'_ The thought passes through her head absently as she recognizes the man as a ninja.

Akiko froze for half as second as the thought suddenly registered consciously.

 _'What was that?!'_ Akiko thought in surprise and mortification.

The ninja arrived before her thoughts could go any further.

"Hi there!" The man called out once he was in talking range.

"Hi." Akiko calls back, her voice muffled by her blocked nose as she stops in-front of the familiar looking man.

"Are you here for business or just a holiday?" He asks causally but there is something off about his causality.

"Just h-re for a holiday." Akiko replies with an easy smile as she tries to put the metaphorical finger on what is bothering her.

"Nice! Mind coming with me? I'm going to needed you to fill out some papers." The man says apologetically.

"Paperk work?" Akiko asked bewildered, her throat felt uncomfortable as she spoke. There was paper work required to enter this place?

"Yeah, sorry about that. By the way what is your name? I'm Izumo." The ninja introduces himself.

"No worrhies and I'm Akiko, kice to meeht you." She holds her hand out for a hand shake and watches as a half confused and suspicious look is cast at her hand.

Akiko lets out a nervous laugh and explains the meaning behind the gesture.

"It's a handshake, a way of greeting someone and showing goood faith." There's a dawning of understanding before a hesitant reaching out of Izumo's opposite's hand to complete the handshake.

The handshake is firm on her end but not on Izumo's, who was loose and uncertain with the custom that Akiko had carried with her for over 100 years.

With the handshake over, the air between them turned awkward as he led her to the small booth just inside the gate, something that she had completely missed.

Sitting at the desk of the small booth is another ninja, this one with a large mane of wild spiky hair, hitai-ate resting on his forehead, a strip of bandage resting on the bridge of his nose and a matching uniform.

And it also appeared that he had the paper work ready on a clip board.

Once Izumo was closer to the man behind the desk, his apprehension and... Tension, Akiko realizes as she sees the Izumo's neck muscles relax slightly.

"I just need you to fill out this paper work and then you can be on your way!" He says cheerfully as the wild mane hair man hands her the clipboard with the paper work and a... pen.

 _'I never expected to see a pen all the way out here. Even in Iwate, they had still used brushes to record documents and write notes.'_ Akiko muses in befuddlement as she stares at the object in her in hand.

X

Above where, the two ninja share an exasperated look.

 _'Why is it that every time a traveller comes they're always surprised to see a pen?'_

X

The form she fills has that standard feel to it, like all the other forms she had filled out so long ago, asking for her name, age, gender, address, purpose, occupation and duration of stay. All of which she filled to the best of her ability.

Name: _Akiko Reko_

Age:

Akiko stared blankly at the age box. She had lost track of time on the road and never really bothered looking at a calendar.

 _'I... don't know how old I am...'_ Came the dumbfounded realization. Izumo, seeing her shock and confused look tried to help.

"Is there something wrong?" He asks cautiously.

"I... Could you please kell me the date and year?" Akiko finishes firmly after her uncertainty smoothed out from her voice.

Akiko doesn't miss the obvious look of surprise the two ninja share before the Wild man, as she had dubbed, speaks.

"It's the 19th of October, Year XXXX."

With some calculation and dredged up memories of the day she had left home, Akiko comes to the ultimate conclusion that she is twenty years old. She diligently writes the number down and stares stunned at the implication it brings.

It's been four years since she had seen her parents, it's been four years since she last saw her friends, it been four years since she had last set foot in her home country.

 _'How had the time flown so fast?'_ The nostalgia strikes hard and fast, leaving her feeling lost and alone.

Akiko takes a breath to calm herself before moving on to the rest of the document.

Place of Origin: _Forest Country_

Address (If applicable): _NA_

At the moment, Akiko does not have a home, neither did she remember the exact address of her parent's home in Forest...and Akiko is fairly sure her house or street didn't have a number or name. The way it was done was: "The house closest to the forest" Or the area of the lumber mill and so on.

 _'But then again, it has been four years since she had last been there and a lot can change in four years.'_ Akiko concedes to her own self acting as the devil's advocate.

Purpose - Please select from the following:

\- Holiday

\- Business

\- Family

She circled 'Holiday', which is more or less right.

Duration of Stay: _Four weeks_

Well, there about.

Occupation: Medic/Doctor/Traveller/Rice picker/Admin of hospital/ waitress

Akiko wasn't sure if it fit but it is what she had been doing for a living and neither did they specify what she did currently...It only said her 'Occupation'.

Akiko knows this is a legal document but the lack of grammatical specification is too much like an invitation to have fun with this.

There were various of other boxes and one she had to sign, which she did, but Akiko didn't have the right information for the rest of said spaces.

Once she handed the clip board back to the ninja, who then promptly read it.

Akiko watched as their reactions to her answers, she can see the surprise and incredulity to the answer of her occupation because their eyes widen in a clear give away, whether deliberate or not, it was still pretty funny.

"Uh...Right." Wild man articulated intelligently while Izumo filled out some small piece of paper, which when finished, was handed to her.

"Here is your permit to stay in Konoha. Please note that certain areas are off limits to visitors, which is listed on the back. This permit will last for four weeks to the day, so on the 19th of November is when the permit will expire and you will be considered a security threat and remember to keep it on you at all times." The shinobi explained with a calm attitude as he handed a small slip of paper with her name and age and in bottom left hand corner is a black stamp of, what Akiko thinks is official registration seal.

Akiko nodded her understanding before asking a question.

"Kould you tell me where to find the medikal klinic or the hosbital for non-ninjas?" Akiko asked curiously, sniffling to keep her nose from leaking. She did not want to deal with the twinge in her arms or the headache she has or the fever that might come back if she stops chewing on the willow bark.

"No worries about that, I'll escort you there." Wild man says with a cheerful grin.

Akiko accepts the help with a grin of her own.

"Thandks! I really appreciate that!" Akiko really does because when she first entered the village, all she could see is rows of houses and shops, all in close proximity to each other not to mention the occasional blurs and flashes of black or green streaks on the roofs. Even though she can navigate through the forests and countries with just a map, at this very moment, Akiko doubts she can even find a toilet.

As Wild Man walked beside her, Akiko took in the architecture of the place and was reminded of the small, squished town houses, suburbia and a tree park all at once.

"So... Why are you visiting the hospital?" Wild-man questions as he leads the way to the hospital while casting Akiko a side glance.

Akiko is fairly sure that this is an attempt of a subtle interrogation and she can't help the smile that sneaks on her lips.

"I am hoping they have something more kimmediate for the fever that I've got and to see if they can do something about strained or pulled muscles." Akiko explains plainly, still vaguely distracted by her surroundings.

There is a small whistle of appreciation.

 _'This man clearly understands the plight of the civilian!'_ Akiko contemplates with a grin.

"Where did you get injuries like those? And a fever? How have you been dealing with it?" He asks, interest genuine in his voice as he turns to face to as she opens her mouth to speak.

"I trying to get to shelter from last night's rain. So there was tree climbing, tree jumping and a bit of tree falling. That same rain is also the cause of the fever, which I have been keeping at bay by chewing strips of white willow bark." Akiko explains, her nose clearing up enough for her to speak properly ,her attention happily turned to the man next to her, who seems to be more carefree than Izumo at the gate.

"You were out in that storm?!" He exclaims in surprise as he hears the news.

"Yeah-eh" Akiko returns equally exclaimed.

"It was an absolute nightmare! Less than a minute in and I was already soaked!" Akiko exclaims pointedly as she recounts the events that had led to her current injuries and illness.

"You are one reckless civvie!" Wild-man says in disbelief once Akiko has finished and is proudly puffing her chest.

 _'I feel like I should be insulted...'_ Akiko feels slightly ruffled but it quickly passes.

"Probably, but I was tired and wet!" Akiko pouts, defending her actions.

Wild-man only laughs in return slowing to a stop.

"Well, here is the hospital." He gestures to the fairly colourful building with a blue roof, orange windows, a large red circle with the kanji for healing, bright white walls and a lot of green grass and shrubs in front of the hospital.

Akiko and Wild-man stand in front of the blue gates, and she watches as other villagers drift and flow in and out of the establishment, some are mothers with small kids and others are the elderly.

"What's wrong?" Wild-man asks, his brow pulled in a small furrow as he notices that Akiko hasn't moved from her position.

"It's so colourful." Akiko states in confusion. She had always thought that since this is a ninja village, who are so very secretive, and added to the fact that this place is ruled with a military dictator ship, the hospital would have been a more neutral colour or at least blended in somewhat. Maybe not obviously but subtlety at least!

Wild-man looks back to the hospital and nods.

"Yeah, it is colourful. Pretty right?" Wild-man brushes off with a grin. With the man in agreement with her, Akiko continues to the hospital with awed eyes because this is a _ninja_ hospital.

Akiko is very much looking forward to see how well run the place is run.

X

The reception room isn't white with like Akiko thought it was, rather green instead with the occasional splash of colour from the nurses who wore yellow and the shades of brown from the timber panelling.

Akiko ignores how Wild-man casually went up the nurses' station on the left and focused on the feel of the place, casting her eyes on the other patients in the waiting room.

Spread across the red cushion benches were women, parents with children and the elderly. Some coughing and others nervous, relaxed and in-between.

Akiko was so engrossed in her observations and slight delirium from her fever, she didn't notice the ninja come up to her and start speaking. So when there was suddenly a hand on her shoulder, she flinched before whirling around to face the stranger.

"Hey, you alright?" He asks, slightly concerned with her reaction while holding his hands in a non-threatening gesture of 'I surrender'.

"Sorry, I just zoned out a bit." Akiko says regretfully as she sheepishly scratches the back of her neck. It seemed that her block nose had returned with a vengeance, her words becoming chopped.

"That I understand, so you got a place to stay?" Wild-man asks, an easy chuckle falling from his lips.

The banter comes easy and her rely completely bypasses her brain.

"No, are you offering?" Akiko could help but let a coy smirk just tug at her lips.

"Hahah! No quite! You're a good one!" Wildman says through the laughs and Akiko laughs with him because it's easy to.

"But I do know of a good hotel where you can stay for about a month with good rates." He finishes with the occasional chuckle.

"Why the help? I'm not being ungrakeful or anything, just kurious." Akiko asks because she is. Akiko knows that ninja are paranoid but it's completely unexpected to run into one who's so relaxed and free-spirited. Not only that but, she also wanted to know when she is going to see a doctor or nurse.

"Well I like you! You're pretty gutsy for a civilian." He says as if it explains everything.

 _'That doesn't...'_ Akiko blinks owlishly before slipping into a smile.

"Thandks! So where is this place?" Akiko asks, keeping the conversation on track, thoughts of asking him about the doctor slipping her mind to the more interesting topic.

"It's this nice place just down this street called..."

X

"Ms Reko?" A woman's voice cut through the flow of conversation between Kotetsu, as Akiko had found out later, and herself.

Akiko looked at the woman wearing what she thought was a nurse' uniform, if that hat was any indication, in surprise before answering the call.

"That's me." Akiko answers with a small smile.

"If you would please follow me." The nurse smiles politely, gesturing for her to follow.

"Sure!" Akiko smiles back at her, not put off by the woman's professionalism.

"See you around?" Akiko asks the ninja as she gets up, a grin on her face.

"Definitely!" He returns and waves her goodbye as Akiko waves in return. She doubts she will see him about again, maybe when she leaves but not before.

Akiko follows the woman out, happy to get a friend out of the ninja. Even though she is fully aware that was some sneaky info digging, it was still pretty fun.

X

The halls of the hospital followed the same colour scheme of green and timber yellow, Akiko noted as she followed the silent nurse through the halls towards the doctor that Kotetsu had wrangled for her.

Akiko passed by various rooms, some with patients and other without and from all those rooms, she just sees a nice view of the court yard and the surrounding village.

The nurse stops, in-front of a door and once again gestures for her to enter, her brown eyes tired but still polite.

"Dr. Ohori will see you now." Akiko returns the polite smile before entering the room.

X

The room is set out like a normal examination room, with a examination bed off to the left, a few chairs along the right, various healthy posters along the walls and where the table is, there is also whom Akiko assumes is Dr. Ohori sitting at said table still filling out paper work. Something Akiko does not miss at all.

"Please have a seat Ms Reko." The woman waves her to the adjacent chairs, her attention still focused on the sheet of paper in front of her.

Without saying a word, Akiko does as directed and once settled, takes some time to observe the woman in front of her.

Unlike the nurses, Dr Ohori does not wear the faded pink outfit but the customary white lab coat instead. However, unlike the majority of people that Akiko has seen so far in the streets, Dr Ohori has faded blond hair rather than the dark or light brown.

And when the Doctor turns to face her, Akiko is once again given another surprise. The woman turns to face her with pale blue eyes that have no pupils.

 _'This woman is from a clan...but which one?'_ Akiko thinks in incredulously, _'Not only that, but the lack of pupils is eerie.'_ Her thought continues.

Dr. Ohori reads her expression like a book.

"Are you alright? I've been told by other civilians that the eyes can throw people off." She begins in a cheerful demeanour, giving the needed outage that Akiko needed.

"No it's fine, just something I wasn't expecting." Akiko smiles at the woman, her surprise wearing off in favour for the coming conversation at hand.

"So, can you tell me why you're here today?" Dr Ohori asks, as she turns back to her desk and retrieves a new piece of paper.

"I was wondering if you had something more immediate to deal with my fever as well as strained muscles." Akiko informs the woman, who looks back at her when Akiko mentions the strained muscles.

"I have some antibiotics for the fever. Can you please tell me how you strained your muscles and how recent it was?" The doctor asks as she writes on that paper, which Akiko is starting to suspect will become her medical file.

"I kclimbed a tree and attempted to jump from one branch to another and fell. I managed to grab a branch but the sudden stop put strain on my arms. I also 'urt by back in the aktion of jumping out of a tree by attempting a roll. All of this happened yesterday during the storm as I made my way here." Akiko recounts succinctly, aware of the look of surprise she got from the doctor from her own reckless actions.

"...Well. That's different to the other ways that I've heard of someone getting muscle strain and continuing on that, are you sure it's muscle strain and not a broken bone? Maybe a fracture?" Dr Ohori questions as she follows her own train of thought.

Akiko pauses, because the woman is right. She had written her pains off as muscle strain when they might be something much worse. Even so, Akiko does hold on to her sliver of doubt. There wasn't as much pain to signal that her bones were broken anyway.

"Let's get that initial examination done so I can determine if your bones are broken or not." Dr Ohori decides as she puts her pen down with finality.

"If you could please turn around?" The doctor asks as she waits in front of Akiko.

With a nod, Akiko twists in the chair until her back is facing the direction of where the doctor had been stand the last she had seen.

Suddenly something both cold, unpleasant and so inextricably wrong comes in-contact with her skin then it goes _deeper_ and Akiko flinches.

The feeling is completely foreign to her and not only that but it causes a deep pit of discomfort and _wrongness_ to gape wide open in her.

"The feeling of chakra can be very disconcerting the first time, after it generally fades." The doctor takes Akiko's flinch as a surprise.

Akiko has never felt like this before and never wants to again and with the feeling of _wrong_ pressing so far into her mind, she'll never want to even come close to another med ninja again.

Akiko is completely unaware of anything but the invasion of Dr Ohori's Chakra, she can't feel the muscles healing nor her headache fading, only that her own Chakra should never come in-contact with someone else.

The rest of the healing continued in silence with Akiko pushing down the urge to run away from the sensation and by extension, Dr Ohori and with said Dr healing her own ails.

"There! All finished!" The pale haired woman exclaimed happily as she withdraws her chakra causing Akiko to release a silent sigh of relief as she turns to face the doctor again.

"Now, I haven't completely healed your muscles as it would be healthier for them to finish the healing process by itself but I have gotten rid of your cold so you won't be plagued by all that coughing or sneezing!" Dr Ohori explained merrily, happiness and other positive emotions radiating from her person, enough so that Akiko began to think it was contagious, especially since she was smiling and feeling just as happy in response despite what just happened.

"Even so, I'd still like you to come and check in after a week just make sure that everything is going well. Take this to the receptionist outside and she'll set up another date for a check in." Dr. Ohori smiled as she quickly handed a slip of paper to Akiko, while gently herding her out.

 _'When did she...?'_ Akiko thought in confusion as she, a little dumbly with the sudden speed up of the blond woman in front of her.

"See you soon!" The woman exclaimed cheerily and then the door shut in her face.

"...What?..." Akiko stared blankly at the picturesque scene of the village and the small hospital garden from the window in front of her before shaking her head and muttering the following word:

"Ninjas."

Signing in both annoyance and exasperation, Akiko looked up and down the hall that she had found herself in. She is fairly sure that it's a straight shot to the reception desk from here when she turns left but there is the fact that she really hadn't been paying much attention to how she got here and only followed the nurse.

With an aimless shrug, Akiko turned left and made her way to the reception.

 _'Once that's done, some lunch would be nice.'_ Akiko mused thoughtfully as she walked down the empty hall.

Akiko stopped again in the middle of the hall what she had said to Kotetsu catches up to her. She can feel her face slowly flush in embarrassment.

"Dear God, I said that!" Akiko mutters in utter mortification.

"Ohhhh I hope he doesn't remember that..." She moaned as she continued to the reception a lot more slowly as she fought down her blush.

X

Dr Hanan Ohori dropped her smile as soon as the door closed.

"Damn it Anko! What the hell was that about?!" The woman called out to the room, referring to the fluctuations of chakra and the occasional 'floating' object when Ms Reko wasn't looking.

"Hehe, only a bit of fun!" came the reply, filled with mirth.

"Just, just come out." Hanan sighed as she held her face in her hand.

"Alright, alright..." Anko complained as she slowly faded into sight.

"kill joy." The purple haired woman muttered under her breath.

Hanan just snorted in reply.

"So who was the red head?" Anko, a special jounin, snake mistress, T&I agent and dango lover extraordinaire questioned with a more serious voice. It seems that she had picked on Hanan's interest in the orange headed woman.

"Just a Traveller who needed some healing." Hanan answered with a casual tone but a puzzled frown.

Her job as a healer, specifically for those who visit the Leaf, is to be their doctor lest they be spies not only that but she keeps them away from the other doctors who may have loose lips. Added to that is the fact that Hanan is a damn good sensor and with what she had picked up from the recently departed adult, had her in a state of slight confusion.

"What?" Anko asked quickly, her attention quickly tuned to her friend's confusion.

"Nothing but, I've never felt such strong spiritual energy from a civilian before. Ninja or spy granted but never a civilian." Hanan informed Anko as she continued to ponder over the details of her observations.

"Are you sure that woman is a civilian?" Anko probes with cold eyes as she looks in the direction of the entrance of the hospital, pondering the validity of grabbing the woman and hauling her down to T&I for a little bit of _questioning..._

"No, you are not taking her down to T&I." Hanan spoke flatly as she turned back to the eccentric woman.

"But!" Anko protested and was cut off

"No buts, she's not a ninja. Her chakra coils are completely untrained; she just has an abnormal amount of spiritual energy. That's all. Besides, I've noted it in her files so there is no needed to worry." Hanan waves off with a careless hand, after all during the healing she had checked the civilian's chakra coils herself.

 _'Though it was strange how Ms Reko's chakra seemed to run away, turn frantic and almost attack when it came into contact with my own.'_ She pondered.

"Hmm..." Hanan's companion hums her reply with a thoughtful look before it changes into one of glee.

"Sooooooo..." Anko begins with a manic grin.

"Come on, let's go get some dango" Hanan says with a grin as she slides the file for one Akiko Reko in her filing cabinet under the 'R's and locking it with a seal.

And with that the pair of kunoichi leapt out the window with the finesse and grace of years of training and experience, off to have some dango.

* * *

 _Konoha!_

 _No Izumo is not a wimp, he is just extra wary because of the handshake. I mean think about it, a ninja uses all their jutsu for hand signs and the very act of shaking a strangers hand would send alarm bells ringing through their mind but at the same time, when a traveler or a diplomat or someone of import comes through, they meet or see Izumo and Kotetsu first so they sort of have an obligation to make a good impression on the 'foreigners' when their arrive._

 _That black stamp is a way of tracking Akiko or all other visitors when they tour around the village since they can't have one ninja per person or group as their forces are already spread thin as it is._

 _It is a similar concept when it comes to Dr Ohori, who is specifically on call for the visitors. It's like extra protection measure and because she is a healer, Anko is there to act as a kind of guard as usually when an enemy strikes, they always go for the healers first._

 _Yes, Akiko does have a frighteningly large amount of Spiritual energy, for a civilian, especially since she is approximately: 110 experience wise it is from my understanding that spiritual energy comes from "studying, meditation and experience" (this is directly from the Naruto wiki about chakra.)_

 _Just so you know, I wanted Akiko to remain human and her getting sick after exerting all her energy in the rain would cause a person to get sick. And I'm sorry for my terrible attempt of writing her dialogue when she has a block nose, because when ever I have one, my words just come out blockish and clumped._

 _And yes Hanan Ohori is a Y_ _amanaka_ _by blood but she married out of the clan._

 _And to that guest that let me know that I had misspelled Genma' s name, thanks! I'm changing it now!_

 _If you have any questions then please ask!_

 _Til the next chapter!_


	17. New Friends and Old Faces

Hey guys! I'm back and Uni's finished for the year! Sorry for the long wait! but here is the next chapter!

Thanks go to Bleeding-roses-16 for betaing this chapter even though it took so long to be written! I hope you all enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 17

Throughout my journeys, I had the good fortune of weather. Of course that didn't always hold but it was plenty when travelling without much of a destination in mind. The rain wasn't too bad so much as my reckless decision of climbing those damn trees but then again that wasn't the last time I climbed them.

Sometimes one has to do reckless acts like that out of necessity, necessity that we can't explain or the necessity to save lives.

It was a miracle that I found that small borehole in that tree. If I hadn't, well I would probably have fallen again and might not have been so lucky to catch on some random branch on the way down, then all the wonderful things that was to come would never be, all the people I met, the hardships, the things I did. Erased in the blink of an eye.

But I digress… An old woman's rambling is something that can go on forever. Atsu became a dear friend of mine, and still is to this very day. Though I do feel some sadness on my part as I know that she will outlive me by years.

It's funny, most times a person remembers the small details rather than the big. I guess because it's the small things that make what you fight for worth it. The smells, the creak in the door, Kakashi's hate of tempura, Naruto's love of ramen and hate of Menna, all the small things…

Anyway, stepping in to Konoha was something else. My memory is a bit fuzzy and I'm pretty sure I still had some of that lingering delirium that comes with fevers when I met Izumo and Kotetsu. The two of them became great friends, especially since I passed the gates so often over the years. And still to this day, Kotetsu has never let me live down what I said to him in the hospital and I don't think I would let myself live it down either…

Come to think of it, I never saw Dr Ohori again after that second check-up. I had wondered where she had gone but there was that sinking doubt that came to mind when every time I asked about her and was told she was 'indisposed'.

Ahh… Those days were always something else.

 _An excerpt from the memoirs of Akiko Hatake nee Reko_

 _Page 140_

XX

Akiko stood at the stone gates of the hospital as she folded her appointment notification in to a neat rectangle and slipped into her travel-worn back pack.

Once it was again where it belonged, Akiko took to the streets intent on both getting some food and finding that hotel that Kotetsu had told her about.

The streets were made of tightly packed dirt which held the characteristics of being walking on for years by so many different people, the young, the old, the soldiers, the healers and the civilians all walked on these paths.

' _How poetic.'_ Akiko mused with a soft smile as she took in the architecture of the building along the road which she walked.

Most of the houses and shops built so close together that it looked, at a first glance, that they were on top of each other or one large and long continuous building. Most of them were quite colourful and there were even a few that looked to be three stories tall, the tallest she had seen in the hidden village.

' _And to be honest, this place is a bit daunting.'_ Akiko thought to herself as she walked the streets, still in search of food.

Many of the shops that she passes were similar to boutiques, selling furniture, masks, flowers, lights, paintings and so on however none of them were selling food. The one thing that Akiko wanted to find the most. Not just that but Akiko could _smell_ the food.

' _Not only that but I need a map of this place!'_ feeling helpless and lost was not new to her but it still left Akiko disturbed. Breathing out through her nose in a heavy sigh, Akiko continued to walk forward and if she still can't find food at the end of this street she'll ask someone for directions.

' _Well it looks like my luck held out!'_ Akiko thought excitedly as she arrived in a street full of foods and just seeing the stalls had her salivating because she is _hungry_.

With a mouth that is slightly agape, she hurries down the street and stops at the first food stall she sees.

Without paying much attention to her surrounds, Akiko lines up to the counter and orders a set of 16 crab takoyaki balls.

As soon they were in her hands, Akiko immediately puts one in her mouth and savours the taste. It's an explosion of taste on her tongue, a wonderful change from all the nuts and herbs she had been easting on the road.

Her hunger gets the better of her as she wolfs down the rest leaving Akiko with a full belly. Releasing one sigh of utter satisfaction with eyes closed to etch the moment in to her memory, full of food, content and surrounded by people.

Opening her eyes, Akiko for the first time takes in the sight of the stall where she had bought her food.

It's different to the ones she had passed by in Gufu where they were actual stores however the one before her was a shop that had an indent where a 'breakfast' bar sat and the people sat on small round stools along with a set of six sheets of cloth with wave patterns that covered the customers back and head.

With a small shake of her head, Akiko turns her attention to the rest of the street, which was full of food stalls and restaurants. The smells alone had her mouth-watering even though she just ate however, she does have limited money and Akiko doesn't think she can get a job here, not with all the paper work and she is fairly sure that it's a condition of her staying in the leaf village.

' _I do need to find that hotel that Kotetsu had told me about buutt, I guess I could have some snacks on the go'_ Akiko convinces herself as she wanders further up the street looking for small and cheap snacks.

Once Akiko reaches the end of the street, she has bought two deep fired radish cakes, one of which is now being nibbled on, and a box of chocolate pocky.

She slows as she reaches an intersection, staring at the three options in front of her.

' _Now, left, right or straight ahead?'_ she muses as looks down the streets. Akiko still isn't sure where to go and she hasn't passed by any convenience stores yet leaving her to do what she had been doing for the past 4 years.

With that Akiko turns right and meanders down the dirt road leisurely.

X

Akiko watches the shops pass her by with a sharp eye, noting which restaurant to avoid, those that have ninja, which ones are cheap, a good ramen shop, and anything else that caught her attention.

Mentally noting down where the shops were, Akiko continued on her wanderings down a few more streets before deciding it was time to find that hotel.

X

Akiko stood in the shadows of one of the many buildings of the village as she searched for a person that looked kind enough to approach and hopefully direct her to _有_ _缘没_ _份_ also known as 'Destined with No Paths'.

The name itself sounded like a cruel joke to any couple that understood that ancient Chinese idiom Akiko had remembered from her own mother so long ago. It meant To have the fate to love someone and yet have no path to live their lives together.

With a sigh full of sadness and regret for the characters in those stories, Akiko shakes her head and continues looking for that kind person.

Her eye is caught by a gently smiling woman, with raven hair, who appears to be buying groceries and chatting amiably with the baker that seemed to have followed her out of his store. And by her side is a small child with hair just as dark.

To Akiko it almost looked like the dark blue of the night sky.

Akiko takes quick steps to reach the pair before they vanish into the crowd.

"Excuse me?" Akiko asks tentatively, looking embarrassed as she speaks. And it's not just because she's asking a total stranger for directions.

' _This woman is beautiful…'_ Akiko thought in stunned realisation.

The woman across from her looks at Akiko surprised, her black bangs framing her face in such a way the woman has the look of a youthful teen and the gentle look that she had seen from afar far enhances her beauty more.

"Yes?" The unknown woman responds, her voice soft and clear, matching her completely.

"Ah, sorry to bother you but I was hoping you could point me in the direction of a hotel called 'Destined with no paths'?" Akiko asks, her voice soft and shy around the flawlessly skinned woman before her.

There was some movement that had Akiko directing her eyes down to the boy, who had hair that was beginning to take the shape of a duck's butt, that stood by the woman. Akiko could see him shift with impatience and had an utterly adorable pout on his face.

Just as quickly as she had looked, Akiko's eyes returned to the mother in front of her as she started to speak.

"It's no bother at all." The woman speaks, and Akiko sees the vanishing of shadows that she didn't even know were there…or at least until they vanished. Akiko felt a flash of sadness for the woman in front of her. While she didn't know what caused them, there was the irrational urge to try and banish them forever.

There was something about her that reminded Akiko of her first life, of being on guard for the sake of her children and her family. Akiko forced herself to remain in the present.

"If you go down this street and take a left at Takeshita street, walk down until you reach Otome road. Turn right onto Otome road and the Inn should be on the left of the street." The woman directs kindly.

Akiko smiles brightly at the woman, her gratitude shown as clear as day on her face.

"Thank you so much!" Akiko beams at the woman who smiles in such a ladylike manner that almost makes Akiko jealous of her skill and demeanour.

Flashing one last smile to the woman with one of the prettiest faces she's ever seen and to that woman's child, Akiko turns away and begins to look for the street signs that will lead her to an inn where she wants to spend the next four weeks.

X

Once the strange woman with hair similar to that of a friend that she had lost had left, Mikoto Uchiha let her smile fall, an expression of puzzlement and old grief taking its place.

Her brows furrowed, for a second, she had mistaken the stranger for a ninja with a ridiculous amount of spiritual energy. Her hair certainly hadn't help. While it wasn't that blood red of the Uzumaki, the colour was still deep enough for Mikoto to mistake her for Kushina.

But she wasn't.

Then there was her spiritual energy, Mikoto was sure that the woman wasn't a ninja but even so she had never met anyone, let alone a _civilian_ with that much spiritual energy.

Not only that but, for a second when the stranger fearlessly looked her in the eyes, there was a flicker of age, grief and wisdom. Her eyes looked so old, as old as her grandfather, when he was alive, or the elders as they are now but at the same time they held the energy of children, that joy, hope and spirit.

Mikoto stood where she was as she watched the vanishing back of the stranger who slowly disappeared into the crowd.

"Mother?" Mikoto looked behind her, surprised as her eldest son Itachi made himself known. He had a small frown that was only enhanced by the stress lines.

Mikoto wasn't blind to her husband's actions on her children. But she was trying, there was only so much she could do when Fugaku listened more to the elders than to her.

 _(She still loved her husband, she couldn't just leave him.)_

Her son stood there, holding a bag of fresh tomatoes, Mikoto couldn't stop the smile spreading at the sight of Sasuke's favourite food. At least there was Itachi, who would always watch over Sasuke.

"Come on, let's go home." Mikoto gently herded her sons home, every now and then looking back at where the stranger vanished.

XX

Itachi had seen the strange woman who had spoken with his mother and he felt the power of her spiritual chakra but even a glance couldn't answer the question of how she had such power, especially since she was a civilian.

And neither was he blind to the sad grief and guilt in his mother's eyes or the fact that she kept looking back, as if expecting someone to return.

Even though he could see the possible paths of his clan, he still cared about his mother. Itachi didn't like seeing the shadows in her eyes.

Itachi follows his mother and little brother, intent on cherishing these small moments and dreading the storm he could see coming.

XX

X

Following the directions of the pretty woman had led Akiko to a wooden building that stood three stories high. There were some lights that she could just see on, if the moving shadows in the window were anything to go by.

There wasn't really a porch or a place to stand the separated the motel from the road, something she would have expected from a place spoken so highly of by Kotetsu. Instead, the dirt road went all the way up to the door which then abruptly became the hotel.

Akiko stares at the door hesitantly, she knows that it would take time to find another hotel and not only that but she didn't know her way around the village. But the thought of entering someplace new still held her back, it wasn't the place but…something else she wasn't entirely sure of.

Akiko frown, she wasn't sure of her apprehension or the reason why she was feeling it. With a deep breath, she pushed these small pebble of fear and anxiety away and opened with as little reluctance as she could muster.

Perhaps it was because she was in Konoha? After all, every one she has been hoping to avoid was in this very village.

X

The interior of inn was just as sparse and bare as the outside. There was nothing to indicate comfort or luxury. There were tables where there sat people who are either staying at the inn or are simply there for the food.

They sat at two long continuous wooden tables with seats being the same, just like the kind found in cafeterias. Food was being eaten off flat metal plates with wooden chopsticks. Akiko counted five people on the table, two women and three men all with varying shades of brown to back hair. None of them had even looked in her direction when she had entered and Akiko found herself thankful for that.

To the right, opposite of the tables, stood a reverse 'L' shape stood a stern faced woman who seemed to have an expressionless face. Akiko could feel the hair on the back of her neck rise from the stare. The stare wasn't emotionless and nor did it see her but through her. Akiko couldn't stop her shiver as she approached the desk.

The woman didn't even smile. Her face didn't even twitch and this unnerved Akiko a little bit more.

"How much is one bed for a month?" Akiko asked as naturally she could but it still sounded strained to her own ears.

The woman kept staring at her flatly.

"150 a night." Even the woman's voice was flat.

' _Er….'_ Akiko though incredulously as she attempted to look at her with a neutral face. There was honestly something about this woman that set her on edge.

"That would come to 4,500 for the month. How do you want to pay?"

' _She's certainly been educated. Then again, I doubt this place isn't under surveillance. After all it was Kotetsu who recommended the place, A leaf ninja.'_ Akiko sighed internally at her own thoughts.

' _Well she certainly has the flat look down pat.'_ Akiko thought sarcastically as the woman continued to stare her down.

"Can I pay on a weekly basis?" A single eyebrow rose in response to her question and Akiko suddenly felt like she was a scolded child again.

The woman just looked at her with that same vision that she had felt with Eiko, like she was under a microscope. It was an unnerving feeling and not one she enjoyed.

"1,050 for this week." The woman's voice was as dry as her disposition. With a strained smile, Akiko counts the right amount from her small purse and hand over the money.

The woman grunted as she took the cash with one hand and passed over a clip board with a form in the other.

"Fill this up." If anything it seemed like her tone got harsher. Akiko didn't want to mention that it was Kotetsu who had recommended this place to her. No way. Akiko didn't care if she was being a bit of a scaredy cat, this woman made her not want to mention it at all. Then again it was an inn recommended by a ninja, what was she supposed to expect?

Akiko wasn't even sure of that herself. She never really had much interaction with the ninja of the leaf, let alone ninja from any other village for that matter.

And for all she knew, this lady in-front of her was a ninja too!

Akiko gingerly took the clipboard from her the woman's hand and started to fill up the form. It asked the same question as the entrance form to the village had except there more fine print at the end.

"I accept that any damages that have been caused by the customer will be paid by the customer." And "The inn 'Destined with no Paths' are not liable for any injuries that are inflicted onto the customer and the inn accepts no responsibility if the customer has been injured or their belongings have been stolen, damaged or destroyed by the ninja of the village.'

' _Well I suppose the exclusions clauses are valid…considering the place I'm currently in.'_ Akiko thought considering as she weighed up the chances of her running into a ninja battle on the streets or even having one break in just to steal her stuff.

' _Then again, I can't really rule anything out.'_ Akiko corrected, because she really couldn't. As a foreign person in a military run village, there really was a chance that her room might be broken into and her stuff would be stolen just to see if she was a spy.

Akiko read the terms over again and double checked that she had filled out all the needed sections before she signed her name at the bottom. She handed the clip board back to the woman and waited for her key.

As Akiko waited for the woman to finish checking her form, she searched the woman as discreetly as possible, looking for a name tag just so she can match a name to the middle-aged browned haired woman with the flattest expression she has ever seen.

' _I don't even think I can pull this one off.'_ Akiko thought in disbelief as she stared at the woman's face.

Her eyes continued to roam the woman's clothing but couldn't find a name tag anywhere. Akiko frowned in consideration. If the name tag wasn't on her person, then perhaps it was elsewhere?

With that in mind, Akiko started to look in the most ridiculous places as inconspicuously as possible. She leaned back gently to look at the wooden beam above the counter, pretending to crack her neck to see the ceiling above the woman's head. And just as she leaned over to look at the floor, the woman spoke again.

"Are you finished?" Akiko flushed in embarrassment at the amusement in the woman's voice. She hadn't wanted to be caught look for her name.

"Em…yes?" Akiko answered uncertainly as she slowly met the eyes of the woman. While she wasn't exactly smiling, there was an amused twinkle in her eye.

"The name is on the desk." The woman pointed.

And there it was, on the desk, engraved in a small wooden pieces. "Hisako".

Akiko stared at the name plate. It had been right in front of her this whole time. Just there.

Akiko could feel the heat in her cheeks and the urge to smack her face into a wall for how stupid she was, looking everywhere but the most obvious place on the whole desk!

In an attempt to dodge the awkward silence, Akiko let out a small laugh while she could see Hisako shake her head.

"Room 5, down the end of the hall." Hisako points at the stair case right at the end of the hall.

X

With a heavy sigh, Akiko falls on the bed and stares up at the ceiling.

' _Well I'm here now.'_ She smiles but it feels sad.

' _Mamaru…'_ Her mind drifts to him and the family that they could have been. Even though it's been months, the wounds on her heart are still raw. It still hurts.

Akiko closes her eyes to fight off the tears she can feel building up with sadness proceeding it with great waves.

Though most of her tears do not fall, a few slipped through.

' _Right! I need to distract myself!'_ Akiko sat up suddenly as she pushed away her feelings. She wasn't going to deal with them now, she couldn't.

Not yet.

' _I'll see what the village is like!_ ' She thought as the rush of excitement of being somewhere new flowed over her, though somewhat damped.

The orange-haired woman rifled through her bag, intent on taking only her money purse and leaving everything else behind in the room. After all, she wasn't here to work but merely to see and then move on.

Akiko would continue as she had been until she finds her ache and then...

' _I'll see where I go from there.'_ She reflected with a wry smile as she gently closed and locked the brown wooden door with the key Hisako had given her.

As she descended the stairs, her thoughts wandered to what she would be doing in Konoha during her stay.

And as she walked past the tables where the five still sat, her eyes rested on one of the women who had hair that had been cut to her ears.

' _Maybe I'll get a haircut.'_ Akiko pondered as she came to the realisation that it had been _years_ since someone had cut her hair. She had always done it herself and in the crudest of ways. Simply getting her knife and chopping it off. Of course more times than not, her hair would have this uneven slant and even though the only mirror she looked into was the water, the mere thought of it still left herself conscious enough to wear her in such ways that a person could never tell.

' _Hmm…I'll make this a treat for myself.'_ She thought resolute.

However, it appeared she had another obstacle before her.

' _Where can I find a hairdresser?'_ That thought had her walking backwards since in her musing she had walked right past Hisako.

"Do you know where the nearest hairdresser is?" Akiko asked as politely as possible since for some reason this woman still made her want to blush from her previous embarrassment, which Akiko was trying to ignore as much as possible.

It's almost as if Hisako could read her because the stern woman quirks her mouth in what seems to be the start of a smile.

"Turn right and it's the last shop on the left at the end of the street." Her voice is to the point and even though it's sounds completely neutral, Akiko can't help but feel that the woman is secretly amused with her in general.

"Thanks!" Akiko gives one of her brighter smiles as she walks out of the inn and back on the road and the people on it.

Akiko follows Hisako's directions and it leads her straight to the hairdressers.

A place that was both familiar and foreign at the same time. It has been decades since she's last been to the hairdressers. For every instance in her current life, it had always been her or her mother who had cut her hair and even then it crudely done.

Without mirrors and done with a simple knife.

It would be a treat for herself and something she would gladly indulge herself with, especially since…

Akiko shook her head to dispel the memories, both the pleasant and the unpleasant.

This was something that is going to be for her and that is how she intended it to be.

The shop had that same open window design, letting both the patron and the people on the street see though the glass, though their chairs looked different. They didn't look as cushioned as the ones from her first life but Akiko wasn't going to condemn them yet.

Akiko approached the door and gently pushed it open, listening to the gentle tinkling of the bell that had been attached to the back.

When the bell chimed, Akiko saw how there was a subtle twitch in many of who she assumed to be employers while there was also a man at a small podium who stood there and his already wide smile somehow got even larger.

' _That is…kinda creepy…'_ She observed with a subtle shiver. The smile seemed plastic, fake.

Regardless, if she wanted a haircut, Akiko would have to talk with the smiling person. And so she approached with cautiously.

"Welcome to the Green Star! How may I help you today?" The man spoke first with a cheer in his voice that had Akiko's insides quiver, and not in the nice way.

"Hi, I'd like to have a haircut?" Akiko stated and hated how she could hear the tremor in her voice.

"Of course! What kind would you like?" Akiko really wasn't feeling the cheer here and if all shop keepers in Konoha were like this, then she would be happy to leave sooner than her intended month here.

Akiko glanced behind the man at the counter to the sign board on the wall, detailing the kind of cuts and the price. She scanned them quickly, dismissing some for the price and other because they weren't for her hair.

However, there was one that caught her eye.

"Could I get a cut and wash?" Akiko asked quickly, pushing down her discomfort in favour for excitement.

"Sure! That would be 50 ryo." The man said politely.

Akiko smiled back as nicely as she could, ignoring the plastic smile as she did so and handed over the required amount.

"Thank you! It shouldn't be too long, please take a seat." He gestured to the four waiting stools that lined the wall to the left of the door.

Akiko smiled again and hurried over to the stools and made herself comfortable.

She looked around the shop and noticed that there were only to hairdressers and that there were two customers, both of whole were chatting quite amiably with each other and the other barbers in conversation.

Such flowing conversation that had Akiko thinking the barbers wouldn't finish if only to prolong the conversation.

Akiko braced herself for a long wait.

Around five minutes late, she was presently surprised when the one of the customers stood and brushed off the loose hair and waved at the remaining customer and the hairdressers and left, shoot her a quick smile.

It was a man, with light stubble and what looked to be smile lines.

' _Well, he looks like a happy person.'_ Akiko though with small smile.

"Please follow me" Akiko smiled up at the aged face of one of the hairdressers and did just that.

X

Throughout the haircut, Akiko stared at the mirror in front of her. She stared at her reflection, something she hadn't really paid attention to.

Akiko is an average looking woman, that's what she's always thought.

She smiled at the mirror and studied it. Her smile is crooked with her left side always being slightly higher the right and it makes it look like she's always smirking. It isn't a feature that she's happy with. It doesn't help that her eyes reinforce the matter.

Then there are her eyes. They aren't small but they aren't exactly large either. The one thing she is happy with is the fact that they're more expressive than her face is.

Ignoring the man behind her, Akiko takes her hands and squishes them against her cheeks, pouting as she did so, she wasn't fat, and even though she spent a good 4 years wandering the elemental nations, somehow, her face always retained their slight chubbiness. Her face lacked the sharp cheek bones of or the stark definition of other beautiful women. Rather her face has the soft curves and the gentleness that she always reminds her of a caring mother.

But out of all her features, the one that she was the happiest with, is her hair. Despite the hassle to take care of it due to its length, since she only asked it to be layered, she does love the smooth gentle curves she inherited from her mother. The shortest parts frame her face, with the small curls at the end.

Her hair has always been her proudest feature, it's a gift from her mother and a legacy from her father. Something she wears with pride for she is a part of a dying clan.

X

When Akiko left the hairdresser, she had noticed the difference in weight on her head. And as frivolous as it was, the difference in weight was something that made her giddy. It kept her smiling throughout the afternoon as she wandered around the streets, shops and stalls that are in the general vicinity of her hotel. She'd rather not get lost on her first night here.

X

As it was already late in the evening when Akiko arrived at the hotel. She retired early back to her rooms, unable to dodge the amusement from Hisako but it had her smiling too and thus Akiko's first night in the Hidden Leaf Village passed without fanfare.

X

Akiko's week passed much the same way, with gradual exploration of the civilian sector, as she had later discovered with some small talk with the various shop keepers she'd met as she searched for various activities and foods to eat.

However, that wasn't the only thing she had learnt through her interactions. Akiko had also learnt that the native village people didn't like strangers, or rather foreigners. While the store keepers, were kind enough there was still some feeling of…distance and cold dislike that sent tendrils of uncertainty and discomfort down Akiko's spine and nestled at the back of her mind.

It left her feeling odd after every reaction and only deepened her impression that she wasn't welcome with every interaction.

It was something that she could easily push away.

X

During that week, Akiko had also followed up on her appointment time with Dr Ohori, who while still being as friendly as she was when Akiko first met her, was somewhat distracted. And while Akiko was thankful to the Doctor, she didn't feel that she as close enough to her ask.

Dr Ohori had informed Akiko that all the muscles had healed properly and she had the green light to continue with her travelling. But Dr Ohori had given stern warning for her not to repeat or do the acts that had led to her strained muscles in the first place.

Akiko sheepishly agreed.

Though she did have her fingers crossed behind her back.

(But Akiko had the feeling that Dr Ohori knew anyway, if that knowing look was anything to go by.)

X

It was in the second week that things started to become a lot more…involved.

X

As Akiko had seen all of the market district, which did put quite a dent in her pocket, she had taken to wandering to the outskirts of the areas she was legally allowed to visit.

On that particular Tuesday, Akiko had decided to veer away from the market districts and follow a path that she hoped to lead her to some peace. She came across an open field which had a nice grassy hill that she liked the look of and promptly walked to.

It was a small hill and she couldn't see much of the village, and that was fine. What it did have was the tranquillity and the sense of clam that Akiko had started to miss.

It was on her way down from the hill after spending a few hours there, that everything had begun.

Akiko came across a strange patch of ground that had her curiously circling it. It appeared that a section of grass had been sewn to the ground.

Akiko could see a flap and she, being extremely curious, reached out to touch it and just as her fingers brushed the edge of the strange flap, Akiko was tackled away by a body that felt smaller then hers. And practically immediately after, an explosion occurred at the very same place where the small square had been sewn into the ground.

Akiko stared up at the body that had covered her in surprise, her heart pounding at the scare. Her gaze travelled up a black cloth to a young and youthful face that looked down to her with a grin and Akiko's heart stopped pounding.

' _A child.'_ Her mind echoed as she sat up, forcing the _boy_ to move off.

"Woah, that was a close one!" He exclaimed in excitement and joy! The child wasn't even fazed that he was singed and that there was _smoke still wafting off of him_!

Akiko is less amused.

She immediately turned on the boy and started to examine where the smoke was coming off.

She runs her hands over the smoking clothing, looking for burns or injuries, ignoring the boy's reaction.

"Hey, Hey, Hey! What are you doing?!" The boy cried out as he pushed her hands away. Akiko raises her eyes and levels the boy with a flat and unimpressed look and watches him flinch.

"Are you alright?" Akiko finally asks, her tone as serious as her face.

The boy smiles at her, a soft, kind thing that leaves Akiko with a warm heart and a pool of dread.

"Nothing I can't handle!" His smile changed to a megawatt grin and something about that made her chest constrict.

Akiko didn't understand and she wasn't sure she wanted to either.

"You just saved me from being blown up! And you're charred! There is no way that you're fine!" Akiko exclaimed, gesturing to the still smoking blast-site for emphasis.

The boy just chuckled and waved her hand away.

X

Akiko missed his glance of calculation.

X

"Well, if it makes you feel better you can come me to meet my friends. That should prove I'm fine."

Akiko studied him, looking for anything that would say otherwise about his condition.

She pursed her lips in thought.

"What's your name?" Akiko asked as she stood up and offered her hand to the boy. He seemed to hesitate before putting his hand in hers.

' _He must be a ninja and at such a young age too.'_ Akiko thought in almost sadness.

"It's Shisui. And yours is?" He left the end of the question open. Akiko smiled.

"I'm Akiko. It's nice to meet you Shisui." By now both of them were standing up right and facing each other. Akiko did notice the difference in height be said nothing of it. It might be considered rude if she did. Instead she spoke.

"Please, do lead the way." Shisui smiled and did just that. Akiko fell into step with him.

X

The awkward silence between the two was something that Akiko didn't know how to break. She didn't really know this person and the only thing that rang bell in her mind was that he had something to do with the main plot.

When she looked at him, there as a sense of…sadness. For reasons, she wasn't quite sure.

"So, why were you in a ninja training field?" Shisui's voice startled her out of her thoughts, his tone curious and teasing.

Akiko looked at him.

"This is a ninja training field?!" She asked in shock.

"Yup!" He answered with glee at her reaction.

"But...! There weren't any markings saying it was a training field!" Akiko protested She had expected fields like these to have a sign _somewhere_ saying that it was a training field!

"We're ninjas!" he pointed out as if it answered all her questions.

Akiko opened her mouth to retort but stopped because it _Did_ answer her questions. They were ninjas and not only that, this was also their own turf. Why would the name things? Things that only ninjas would use?

"…. You have a point." She conceded after a pause.

Shisui let a few chuckles escape as they continued to walk.

"So what's a civilian doing in a ninja training field?" The boy tries again, the laughter still carrying in his voice.

"I didn't know it was a ninja training field." Akiko muttered petulantly. "I came here because it was peaceful, empty." Akiko continued, her voice calmer as she gave her reasons.

"Calm eh? What don't like the hustle and bustle?" Shisui pried some more.

"It's not that I don't like it but I was born in forest Country and when you've spent as much time as I have on the road, going to a big city with a lot of people, after a while you begin to miss the calm and quiet." Akiko explained, unaware of his sudden stiffness.

"Forest Country?" He asked, still keeping his tone light and playful.

"Yeah, I left when I turned sixteen. Been on my own ever since." Akiko spoke quietly, not wanting to mention the times she spent in Rain. It was still to fresh, too soon.

"Why'd you leave?" Shisui asked and Akiko felt that he was genuinely curious.

"Clan traditions." Akiko told him. She didn't elaborate any further. She knew that clan secrets of the Reko were sacred and were only shared with your life partner. And it seemed that it extends to other clans in here too and that Shisui knew of this as well.

"Oh." He nodded and the conversation seemed to die there.

Akiko was sure how to pick it up either, instead she busied herself with observing the area around her.

It seemed that during their short conversation, Shisui had left her out of the training and were well on the way to civilisation.

X

Due to the silence between Shisui and her, Akiko paid close attention to her surroundings. She could feel the eyes on her and the hair on the back of her neck standing up.

' _Why are they staring?'_ Akiko thought on edge, the hate and the fear from the civilians around her was almost palpable. It was different to when she was on her own, so why was it more noticeable now?

It took her more than half the time they were in the civilian sector for Akiko to realise that the looks weren't directed at her, well there were a few but the majority of the distain was directed at Shisui.

Akiko didn't quit understand until she slowed her pace slightly and her eyes caught sight of the red and white fan on his back.

There was this nagging at the back of her mind, like she should know the meaning of that fan. But every time she grasped at the memory, it easily slipped through her fingers. She knew it was a clan emblem, but which one?

' _And I'm pretty sure the reason that everyone here is scared of him is also because of that fan on his back.'_ Akiko continued to ponder the problem of the white and red fan.

' _Why can't I remember!'_ Akiko thought frustrated. She hated it when she forgot bits of her past life or information that could be important.

"Problem with being old." She muttered to herself.

"Hmm?" Shisui hummed his question to her and Akiko blushed, she hadn't meant for him to hear.

"It's nothing!" Akiko replied mildly.

"Well, we're almost there!" Shisui pointed ahead and Akiko's eyes followed his finger which had led her gaze to a fruit stall where there appeared to be two short boys waiting.

Akiko nodded her acknowledgement but kept quiet, as she studied one of the boys with squinted eyes.

' _I think I know that hair from somewhere…'_ She had seen that strangely shaped hair before? Where had she seen hair that had the strangest angle at the end?

The closer they got, the clearer the two became to her until it got to the point where Akiko and Shisui were face to face.

There were no words that were exchanged between the Shisui and the other older boy but the first one to speak wasn't her.

"It's you!" Shouted the small kid with the strange hair, pointing at Akiko as he did so.

She stared at him, confused.

' _Me?'_ Akiko mouthed to herself as she stared at Shisui with puzzlement.

"You made mummy sad!" The kid shouted again with righteous anger in his voice. Instead of clearing up the confusion, it only made it worse.

"Have you met the little tyke before?" Shisui asked, slight suspicion colouring his voice. Akiko couldn't fault him on it, especially if they were related and it certainly looked like they were.

"I don't know, I've been here two weeks and I've said 'Hello' to a lot of people." Akiko explained with a small shrug of her shoulders.

"But I have seen that hair from somewhere…" Akiko muttered as she stared intensely in to the cross eyes of the boy.

Her eyes widened as the sudden realisation hit.

"You're the kid who was with the really pretty lady!" Akiko practically shouted in her shock. Then her words came back to her.

' _Oh god, I sound like a child.'_ The orange haired woman could feel the blush on her cheeks as she saw Shisui raise an eyebrow at her choice of words. It didn't help that she could feel the other boy's judgemental stare boring into her.

"She's my mummy! Not yours!" The small child said quite possessively, something that didn't surprise her given his age, but it was still slightly insulting, insinuating that she was going to steal someone else to be her mother when she already has one and doesn't need another, there was also the tiny fact that Akiko was most likely over than the woman anyway.

"I have my mum too!" Akiko glared at the kid as she bent over, stooping to the level of the child in terms of arguments. She knew she shouldn't but Akiko couldn't help it, it was nice to feel young again, even if it meant arguing with a child.

"Good! You stay with your mummy and stay away from mine!" The boy folded his arms in triumph that had Akiko smiling softly with an eyebrow raised.

Akiko kept smiling as she stretched her back and made eye contact with the other two more…mature children.

The still unnamed boy said nothing and simply raised a single eyebrow at Akiko but she carefully kept her eyes away from the judging stare.

Akiko turned to stare at Shisui, it was better than facing head on that stare coming from the boy with really long hair and a shine that many girls would kill for.

Shisui, as it turns out, was attempting to hold his laughter, which he was doing pretty well until Akiko raised an eyebrow at him.

And then he lost it.

The boy collapsed into gales of laughter, he was laughing so hard that tears were squeezed from the corner of his eyes.

Akiko knew that what had transpired wasn't that funny, not by a long shot but something told her that Shisui needed this.

Laughing was about as contagious as yawning and it wasn't long before Akiko joined Shisui in laughter.

When the two had finally recovered their bearings, both were faced with the indignant pout of the small boy and the exasperated aura of the older boy.

"Hah, so guys, this is Akiko. A civilian I found." Shisui introduced her and Akiko felt playful indignation at the statement that he had 'found her'.

"More like saved from being blown up." She muttered under her breath. She caught the flicker of his eyes, indication that she had been heard. Akiko wasn't if the other one had heard but then again, ninja.

"Akiko, this guys are my family. The small tyke with the hair is Sasuke." Shisui gestured to the small boy before whispering in her ear.

"Careful, he has the cute brother complex." Sasuke saw the motion and frowned at the two.

"Hey! What did you say to her!" The small boy demanded, obviously knowing that it was about him. Shisui just grinned at the boy and ruffled his hair. Sasuke sulked, arms crossed and an adorable pout on his lips.

"And this is my favourite _younger_ cousin, Itachi!" Itachi remained impassive but there was the aura of exasperation and annoyance that seemed to radiate from him, which had Akiko smile slightly. She had seen this brotherly behaviour before.

At a guess, Shisui was probably the one that bugged Itachi and seeing how he had been conveying all emotion with a blank face, Akiko could see the older boy attempting to pry Itachi out of his shell.

The care between then warmed her heart, something that happened often when she sees familial bonds.

"It is a please to meet you." Akiko greeted formally, her lips twitching at the scene before her.

"And you." Itachi muttered back smoothly, his voice rich and low.

' _This boy, well I can just tell that he's going to be a heart breaker with those looks and that voice!'_ Akiko felt almost sorry for the boy, she was sure that he would garner many, many fangirls by the time he reaches 16. Maybe even sooner.

"Well since I've seen you to your family, I'll be taking my leave." Akiko bowed slightly before taking a step back.

"Wait! Why don't you come with us?" Shisui had a hand on her shoulder, not an attempt to stop her but something to get her attention.

"I wouldn't want to intrude on family time." The orange haired woman rebutted.

"You wouldn't be intruding! The more the merrier!" Shisui seamlessly deflected the weak reason.

Akiko studied his face, and looked. His eyes were tired and haunted. He had seen death, and while she could recognise the same look in her own eyes, his were darker.

She had lost patients but they were always people she had not really connection to but Akiko suspected that Shisui had lost close friends. In battle.

' _He is a ninja, after all.'_ Came her own sardonic reasoning.

"Fine," She caved to his request and walked with them, "but where are we going?"

"We're going to…" Akiko listened with diligence to the youngest member of this small group, smiling and nodding and asking question of boy. Akiko would continue to ignore the eyes of accusation and fear and instead enjoy her time with some new friends. Even if they were a bit younger than her.

X

As it turned out, they were heading to the stores to some grocery shopping, nothing too big. Shisui kept much of the conversation going with Akiko throwing in a story of her travels every now and then just to add to the richness of what was being spoken. Sasuke had stars in his eyes when he heard that Akiko had travelled all the way from Forest Country to the Leaf village.

"Where are you gonna go next?" Shisui asked with a causal grin as Akiko shifted the bags she was carrying.

"Hm, I'm not too sure honestly. I just going where ever the road takes me. I don't do much planning." Akiko answered with a shrug.

"Really? Just where ever? What if you hit a cross road?" Shisui asked, both fascinated and slightly disturbed with her way of travel.

"I toss a coin." A lazy grin spread on her lips. Akiko didn't like making plans when she travelled. Even though it was against common sense.

"That's crazy! What if you get caught in bad weather!" This time it was Sasuke who asked.

"Well then I just deal with it! I improvise!" Akiko shot a grin at the small boy whose face scrunched at the word.

She could see him mumbled the word under his breath before turning to Itachi who seemed to watch the conversation from the corner of his eyes, never really joining in. _'Though to be fair, he seemed to have more fun listening than talking'_ Akiko concluded as Sasuke asked his older brother what the word meant.

Akiko, noticing that she was nearing her hotel, figured that it was time to say her farewells.

"Hey guys, this is my stop." She stopped and waved at Sasuke and Itachi. Shisui pouted at her words.

"Aww! Why don't you come with us?" Sasuke asked with a cute foot stomp.

"Sasuke, Mother wants as home soon and Akiko is most likely tired from today's events." Itachi, being the diplomat, explained to his brother.

"Sasuke, tell you what, if you see me in the streets, you can run over and say 'hi'! Even come at me with a running hug!" Akiko smiled at the boy, giving gentle encouragement.

"Fine then." The small boy crossed his arms and pouted.

' _He's so adorable!'_ Akiko gushed in her mind.

"I'll see you around Shisui!" Akiko called as she turned down Otome street and headed to her hotel.

Not before passing a stall with several items that Akiko thought would be good parting gifts for the trio when she left the village.

X

It seems that Akiko's luck had changed, since throughout that second week she had continuously run into the Uchiha trio. Akiko had the nagging suspicion that Sasuke had gotten Itachi to track her down simply so the small boy could tackle hug her.

Not only that but the other two were just as good company, alternating between endless chattering and story share and comfortable silence. It was quiet the experience, something that Akiko was glad for. There were a few times that Akiko had seen either Shisui or Itachi stare down civilians that had felt brave enough to approach them and sometimes just her, with less than pleasant intentions.

However, in the middle of her third week, Itachi and Shisui informed her that they could no longer meet up as they had a mission come up. Akiko told them that it was fine and then handed them three gifts she had gotten them earlier.

She had gotten Sasuke a book on the ninjutsu of the elements, Shisui a baby blue scarf and for Itachi, an empty journal. It was a small gesture but one of friendship but one that she meant completely.

Akiko felt a pang of sadness and regret at their retreating backs. She wishes she had more time with them.

X

Akiko sat in the common room of her hotel, somewhat at a loss of what to do. She felt restless but the same time, she didn't know what she could be doing. Akiko had already walked everywhere she could, seen the sights and tried the foods. What else was there to do?

She stared at the window and continued to watch as the night took old. Akiko stared in a trance like state, watching the dark spread slowly and softly over the street. Her eyes snapped into focus as she came to a decision. Akiko stood with wobbly purpose and made her way out the door, following a faint call in her heart.

X

Akiko didn't think, she just let her feet take her where ever. Her eyes passed over shops and landmarks without them registering in her mind. She simply wandered through the streets of the Leaf village.

The lights of the village and the people on the streets blurred together as she continued to move through them like water. Just as sudden as her revere had begun, it had also ended. Akiko stopped suddenly as she felt her mind focus on where she was. She blinked a few times to clear her head as she looked around. It seemed that her wandering had gotten her to the side of town that had all the pubs.

It wasn't a place she was too keen on staying in. With a light shrug, Akiko continued down the street she was on, this tome more aware of her surrounds. She looked around and took in the sights and sounds of roaring laughter, hoots and drunken civilians. As Akiko continued to walk, she noticed the atmosphere change and the patrons too.

It seemed that the people where she was now were sombre and quiet. There were some parties but they seem to be celebrating survival not an occasion like a birthday. Akiko frowned, if she was where drunk ninjas were then it would be in her best interest to not stay. Who knows what they could be capable of! Akiko didn't know when they were sober, but at least then they would have control over their mental facilities. But if they were drunk…Akiko shook her head, not wanting to think about it. Instead, she increased her pace and tried not to look like she was hurrying out of the area.

Akiko continued on, taking note of how the number of bars dwindled down until she was out of the area. With a sigh, she relaxed and resumed her leisurely pace.

' _Maybe I should start to head back to the inn?'_ Akiko pondered as she walked.

She suddenly stilled as Akiko felt two arms wrap around her midsection and a face nuzzle into the side of her neck. Akiko felt her heart stop and at the same time felt her blood grow cold. She didn't think this would happen to her, not here either!

With her heart increasing in speed as her fear grew, Akiko braved looking at the person who made themselves overly friendly with her body. If it was a civilian she could take them but…if it was a ninja? Then she, in very apt terms, was screwed.

Her head turned slightly and her eyes widened in shock for another reason. The face that is nuzzling into her neck like some kind of dog, was a masked faced.

' _Please not him…'_ Akiko pleaded as she turned her head further and caught sight of a shock of white hair and _his_ face.

' _No! It can't be!'_ She thought frantically but the deep timber voice rumbling in the man's chest said otherwise.

"Mine." Kakashi almost growled.

(Akiko stubbornly ignored her thing for deep voices.)

' _Meeting Kakashi once was enough but meeting him again?! What the hell kind of luck do I even have? Did I piss off some all-powerful being? Seriously! Out of everyone here! In the whole damn village! Why did it have to be him?!'_ She ranted in the safety of her mind as she forced her body to remain still.

So far, all Kakashi had done was holder her tenderly like a lover and declare that she belonged to him. Akiko felt her face flush with colour at the pleased growl in Kakashi's chest.

(And maybe deep, deep in her heart, she did enjoy the sound of it.)

' _I really didn't need this happening to me, right now.'_ She though embarrassedly as her…other parts started to react. However, there was another thing, Akiko could smell the stench of alcohol that hung on him like a cape of a jealous woman.

"Smells nice." Kakashi rumbled out again, this time clutching her closer. Kakashi is clearly drunk and also a ninja, who seems pretty happy with her around and Akiko wasn't heartless enough to set a drunk Kakashi loose on the village. Not the mention, she didn't think anyone would be able to pry him off her without some form of grievous bodily harm. Akiko sighed as she tried to pull herself out of his grasp.

It didn't work, he just growled threateningly before making his grip on her person even stronger. Akiko heaved a sigh.

"alright then, let's get you to bed." Akiko huffed gently at the drunken man.

"Okay!" He sings cheerfully but doesn't let go.

"You aren't going to let go. Are you?" She muttered rhetorically.

"Nope!" Kakashi answers cheerfully anyway.

"Right." The woman sighs tiredly before taking a few experimental steps forward. Kakashi mirrored them perfectly. Taking this as a success. Akiko begins her walk back to the inn, with Kakashi attached to her back like a leach.

X

The resulting walk was a surprising nice and languid one, that is one Akiko disregarded her own heart rate and the various stares of disbelief from the people who seemed to recognise Kakashi. Anyone that had tried to even come near the pair ended up backing off in the face of an audibly growling Kakashi. Something that every didn't want to face.

"So, why were you drinking?" Akiko asked, seeing as Kakashi seemed coherent enough while drunk, if just a bit animalistic.

"Celebration!" Kakashi giggles his answer in her ear. Akiko shook her head in slight disbelief. Kakashi and giggling is a weird combination.

"For what?" Akiko asks surprised. She had never pegged Kakashi as the type to drink at parties, let alone go to parties without someone else bringing them.

"Back on rosters" He crows to the sky happily and Akiko turns her head to look at him, she smiles fondly at the childish grin that she could see from the outline on his mask. Akiko assumed that 'back on roster' meant back on mission roster.

"Why were you taken off?" Akiko questions with surprise but she didn't think she'd get an answer.

"Can't tell! It's a secret! Shhh." He sang back gleeful at the idea of a secret, like a little kid who knew where their parents had hidden all the sweets.

' _Should have expected that.'_ Akiko thought with a face fall, not entirely sure why she had some faith that he would tell her. They did literally just meet…technically this was the first meeting with him being semi lucid.

"Alright then, who set the party up?" Akiko askes without losing heart. He is a ninja and she highly doubts Kakashi is the type to throw a party for himself. Period. Instead he is more the type to be dragged against his will.

"My teammate! Beeeaver!" Kakashi drawls with drunk happiness.

"Beaver?" Akiko asks sceptically. She is aware that ANBU exists and that they wore masks to hide their identity, and that Kakashi was also part of the secret force of ninja. But that still begs the question, why is Kakashi's teammate called beaver? Is…that the name for his mask? Akiko wasn't sure and decided to just let it go, she figured more thing would make sense that way too.

"Yep! Beeaverrr" He sang this time.

When he didn't elaborate further, Akiko sighed and left it alone. There really wasn't anything else she could get out of him without Kakashi being cryptic, even though he is drunk.

The rest of the walk was silent but with a strange sort of comfort. The amount of people on the street had also lessened to the occasional couple or person who didn't give them a second glance. Of course there was the sniffing and dace rubbing, which made Akiko's face heat up, especially when accompanied with a low growl in Kakashi's chest.

By the time the two of them had gotten back to Akiko's inn, she was a bit aroused and very, very red. Hisako, the woman who had checked her in the first time and since then taken the night shift for the last three weeks, looked at her with a raised eyebrow and a very amused smirk. The suggestive wink was something else.

Akiko didn't think she could blush any harder. She was wrong.

Somehow, the implication was worse than what was currently happening. So with a red face, Akiko ran or rather walked quickly to the stairs and hurriedly entered her room.

This must have been some sort of signal for Kakashi as she could feel could feel the shoots of pleasure from him nibbling on her neck. He had taken off his mask.

Akiko couldn't stop the aroused most that slipped past her lips as Kakashi's hands took to wandering her body, seeking out pleasure spots.

' _I can't let this continue, especially since he's drunk!'_ Akiko thought frantically and with slight difficulty as Kakashi is very talented with his hands and his mouth. Her body responded with a gusto to Kakashi's ministration on her breasts and Akiko could _feel_ the smirk on his lips as let out a particularly loud moan.

Akiko isn't going to give him any hers since he had alcohol and she didn't think he would be drinking them at all, since his attention was elsewhere. So that left Akiko with pressure points and a drunk's natural propensity to fall asleep.

' _Kakashi falling asl-ah-sleep doesn't look like it's happening anytime soon.'_ Akiko's mind stuttered as Kakashi had somehow managed to get his hands under her clothes without her noticing. That just left her with pressure points.

Akiko needed to act soon because Kakashi was hitting all sorts of buttons and his hands were getting dangerously close to one in particular. She turned abruptly to face him.

"Shirt off" She commanded breathlessly and as if by magic, the vest and the shirt were on the floor. And so was hers. She could feel his bare chest on hers and it sent tingles down her spine. Akiko let one hand trace down his exposed muscles and while Kakashi didn't make a sound, Akiko could feel him shudder with pleasure.

The heat that she felt in her belly, intensified. She felt it rush downwards, making her regret her next move.

Akiko rammed two fingers into the pressure point over Kakashi's heart and with a small sigh of regret and wistfulness, she caught the now sleeping man. Akiko slowly dragged him to the bed and gently dropped him on it, grunting from the effort.

"Definitely not lighter, if anything, you've gotten heavier." Akiko said to the unconscious figure.

Her only response was a snore.

Akiko wasn't sure what to do next. Hightail it out of here? Right now or stay in case Kakashi vomits and chokes on it and then leave. She must have spent too long standing there contemplating her options next to Kakashi because suddenly she was in bed with said ninja's arms firmly around her.

' _A drunk ninja is still a ninja.'_ She remembered the words of Shisui when she had asked about ninjas after seeing some stumble out of a bar earlier in the day. Completely true and her own fault for forgetting it.

"Damn it." Akiko whispered, she should have remembered! There was also another thing, this was even similar to the last encounter Akiko had with Kakashi. She tried to wiggle her way out but Kakashi's arms just tightened their grip. Sighing her surrender and pointedly ignoring the warmth spreading from her heart, she needed to plan her next step.

Her next best bet of escape is tomorrow morning, when hopefully, Kakashi's arms would be loose enough for her to escape but until then, she needed sleep.

X

Akiko gave in to her guilty want as she snuggled into Kakashi's arms and fell asleep.

OMAKE

Genma scoured the rooftops for Kakashi.

' _All I gave him was one damn pill!'_ He thought as he continued to search frantically, nervously chewing on a senbon.

He knew that Kakashi always drank on the anniversary of Obito and Rin's death but never his Sensei's, _'probably because of Naruto'_ he admitted to himself.

Se Genma wanted his fellow ANBU member to have a happy experience and so he had slipped Kakashi a standard, civilian grade happy pill that he had swiped off some doctor's office in preparation for this. That was it! He just gave Kakashi one pill and then…maybe a few drinks after.

It was working too! And then poof! Suddenly Kakashi was gone! Genma had only turned around to get another drink off the waiter.

"Honestly where the hell could he have gone?" Genma muttered to himself as he stopped by the memorial stone to check if Kakashi had been there.

Team Ro would skewer him if they ever found out what he did or that he lost Kakashi.

"Damn it."

Genma continued his search.

* * *

So thoughts?

Also if you want, you can check out the tumblr for this story! it's: _thewanderingwomanofnaruto_ with the usual tumblr ending!


	18. Running away and A Child

**Hey there! I know it's been a while since my last update but my life gotten more interesting since I last posted!**

 **I'm going to try and be more consistent in posting chapters throughout this semester if I can, so there might be another drop off in November… Other than that, Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

That wasn't the last time I saw the Uchiha trio, but it was the last time I saw them happy together. Suishi, such a sweet soul and caring soul, especially for his cousin, Itachi. I wish he could have lived longer than burden Itachi with his death. Though I had the feeling that there was more to it than just a simple suicide. I asked Kakashi after the war and I was right. It was so, so much more complicated than I had assumed.

The days after I had learned of what had happened, I wished that Danzo was still alive so that I could have my turn with him. And there are days were I wished I still had the chance to give the Uchiha clan a piece of my mind for what they had put the poor boys through. Still, time passes and waits for no one, leaving me with only wishes and regrets.

If I'm honest with myself, that night was both the most memorable and the most mortifying night of my life. There were several reasons for that. The main one being that I wanted nothing to do with the plot and Kakashi played a major part in it, the second being that he was drunk. Plain and simple.

I didn't want to have sex with a partner who was drunk. Just no. But at the same time I felt…wistful at what I thought at the time was a, possibility of something that was never going to happen in the future.

Though none of that saved me from the embarrassment at the hands of Hisako.

 _Except from the memories of Akiko Reko ne Hatake Page 189_

X

Akiko, even though only getting snatches of sleep, still felt well rested. The first rays of light filtered through the window. She stared at it and released a small sigh, somewhat regretful at the knowledge that she would have to leave the warm embrace of Kakashi's arms. Regardless of her own want to stay, she could not. She would not allow herself too.

Casting one more glance to his sleep, she gently traced his features with a feather light touch. Her chest constricted in sorrow as she remembered her four years with Mamaru and at the same time feeling guilty of thinking of him as she lay with Kakashi.

Kakashi breathed slow and steady with sleep gracing his face, making it seem younger, much younger without all the grief, self-doubt and regret on it. Akiko could just feel her own smile twist in sadness.

' _The past is the past and I just need to deal with it.'_ She scolded herself as she carefully slipped out of Kakashi's lax arms. As soon as she left, Kakashi let out a disgruntled sound before turning over and hugging one of the extra pillows that she had been sleeping on, and promptly buried his face in it. Akiko felt her heart warm at the adorable sight before her. With a gently smile, she quickly gathered her meagre belongings and hurried out the door but not before throwing on the shirt she had been wearing last night.

She wanted to be long gone before Kakashi woke up. Akiko hoped the hangover would keep him asleep long enough for her to get away.

The door clicked shut as quietly as she could make it, and still cautious, Akiko continued to tiptoe down the hall and only allowed herself to walk normally. She hurried over to the desk where Hisako sat, and Akiko wondered if the woman ever went home.

"So, how was he?" Hisako asked with a lecherous grin that had Akiko flushing again.

"Nothing happened!" Akiko hissed to the older woman, her voice slightly raised but she kept the volume down, remembering that Kakashi was still asleep and she didn't know if he was a heavy sleeper under the influence of alcohol, not to mention that Kakashi probably wouldn't hear her but she didn't want to risk it.

Hisako just drew out this week's rate, having already figured that Akiko would do a runner.

"You are amazing!" Akiko cried happily as most of everything she had already to go. Akiko hurriedly to finish the last of the paper work and was just about ready to leave. However, there was still something holding her back, she wanted to leave a note for Kakashi. It felt wrong of her to just leave without saying anything.

Akiko signed on the last page and handed the clipboard back but she didn't move. She stood there, staring at the stairs she had come down from as she thought. It seemed her conflict was clear as day on her face because her attention was brought back to Hisako who gently pushed forward a pen and a small wad of paper.

Akiko gave the woman a gently and grateful smile. The other woman snorted but her eyes softened.

Akiko has a strange relationship with the inn keeper. She passed the silent woman every day and sometimes Akiko would stop for a small chat which was entirely one sided since Hisako rare talked. Akiko would talk and gush about the various things she had done that day and speticals she had seen and Hisako would answer with either a look, a smile or a raised eyebrow, all holding many meanings.

Akiko promised herself that if she ever found her way back to Konoha, she would stay here.

Pulling herself away from her reflections, the debatably young woman focused her mind on her next challenge.

What to write.

' _Dear Kakashi?'_ Akiko tilted her head to the left before scrunching her face, _'Nah, he never told me his name and it would be pretty suspicious if I used it. So, no Kakashi but what about the rest?'_

She huffed as the words continued to evade her. Akiko stood there thinking, still stuck on what to write, much to Hisako's amusement, and she continued to stand there a little longer before the inspiration finally stuck.

With a slight exaggerated flourish, Akiko let the pen come to life as she wrote down her message and finished it quickly.

"Please give this to the man I came in with? And don't mention my name, please?" Akiko asked with a pleading smile. She didn't want Kakashi to know that they had met again and she hoped that this second time would be the last time.

(Something in her gut told her otherwise but that didn't stop her from hoping.)

Hisako smiled softly and nodded once. Akiko new that all would be well.

With a short goodbye and a promise to return, Akiko walked out the door of the inn 'Destined Paths with no Paths' without looking back.

X

The crisp morning air prickled sharply into her face, most of the street shops were closed, the sky held the barest hints of daylight which was slowly but surely creeping across the horizon.

Akiko scrubbed at her face in an attempt to warm it but gave up when the chill attacked her hands too. The woman took in the sights of the still sleeping civilian sector. Akiko wasn't sure of the exact time but of the two bakeries that she had passed, both were closed and had no light or movement in them. She supposed it was probably before 5 am and with this revelation, Akiko let out a wide yawn, suddenly feeling even more tired.

' _Tired or not, I'm getting out before Kakashi wakes up.'_ Akiko picked up the pace as she felt her resolve strengthen.

She didn't know how Kakashi found her and she wasn't going to stick around to find out! Akiko lengthened her strides and forced her eyes to open, her steps matching an unheard beat. With her fear and determination as her driving force, Akiko moved swiftly through the streets.

Soon, Akiko could see the gates of the village and with her escape in sight, she slowed her steps to a pleasant walk. It seemed that the closer she got to a normal walking pace, the more she panted in execration.

As she approached the gates, she noticed two humanoid figures and then remembered the fact that the gates were guarded at all times. Akiko only hopes that whoever was guarding them today didn't give her much grief and she certainly hoped they wouldn't keep her around when Kakashi wakes up.

To Akiko's relief, it was Izumo and Kotetsu. Both had seen and helped her before.

"Why are you in such a hurry to leave?" Kotetsu asked, a frown pulling at his lips.

Akiko gently gnawed on her lips, trying to come up with a way to phrase her complete and utter avoidance of Kakashi and the plot.

"I'm running from a drunk and Handsy ninja?" Came blurting out of her mouth. Both ninja opposite her tensed and suddenly Akiko could taste something heavy and a metallic tang in the air.

"Can you tell me who?" Izumo asked with a strained smile, that hinted to something more. Akiko shivered when she saw it.

' _How do I do this? I'm not going to say Kakashi because I doubt in that situation he would say his name…'_ Akiko though quickly.

"He had white or silver hair and wore a half mask." Akiko described Kakashi instead of answering Izumo's question.

' _they'd probably ask if I knew him before if I answered with his name and if I say 'no' I would be lying, which I'm sure they could pick up and if I said 'yes' they would ask where I knew him from and that would open a can of worms!'_ So caught up in her thoughts, Akiko missed the dark look exchanged between the two ninja.

X

It seemed Kakashi had just made it to their shit list, renowned and famous ninja or not.

They wouldn't let this slight go unpunished.

X

"Are you sure you're going to be alright?" Izumo asked with a worry and while Kotetsu echoed it with a worried frown.

"I'll be fine but I'd rather not be here in the morning when he wakes up." Akiko waved away their worry with a smile that had some tenseness to it.

The longer she stayed, the more edgy she started to feel, she didn't want to stay too long. In fact, she has already stayed longer than she felt was safe. Akiko needed to leave and it had to be now.

It seemed that the two ninja picked up on her need to leave, that or they could see the panic in her movements.

"Please don't tell them you saw me or that you know me?" Akiko asked of the two ninja, appearing as desperate as she felt in that moment.

She saw them both exchange looks before turning to her nodding.

"Don't worry, we won't say a word!" Izumo grinned at Akiko, who felt a ridiculous amount of relief sweep through here. There was the most miniscule disappointment, but it was drowned by her relief.

"Thank you." She breathed to them and started into the motion of a hug before stopping herself short, remembering her own revelation that ninja's didn't quite like physical contact with people they didn't trust or didn't know.

Both smiled at here, though there was some awkwardness chasing at the edges.

"Pass us your card and we'll let you through." Kotetsu motioned with his hand and Akiko couldn't have complied fast enough.

"I'll come back sometime, hopefully when _He's_ forgotten all about me!" Akiko promised, with a small smile as she walked out the gates.

"Bring us a souvenir when you do!" Kotetsu called out after her, making Akiko laugh as she turned while walking backwards.

"YOU CAN COUNT ON IT!"

X

Once Akiko was out of sight of the village, she took a moment to breath before reaching inside and pushing her presence all the way down. She hadn't thought she needed to use this skill so soon. Plus she was getting pretty rusty.

It was something that she had picked up from a passing hunter from Iron country. He had been in the ninja hunting business until he lost an eye. Yato had stayed in her village for a month, and it had taken most of that month to get him to teach her. He had been the toughest nut to crack but he was a great teacher since she had managed to get the skill down in the week he had left at her village.

While it had occurred to her to use it on her travels, Akiko always dismissed it as she couldn't really see the point seeing as she hadn't really encountered any ninja, well living ninja any way. Neither had she seen a reason to hide until now.

Now she just didn't want to be found by Kakashi or any Konoha ninja at this point, leaving her with her last option. Supressing her presence to the point it would come off to them as nothing more than a small squirrel. Hopefully, any ninja passing by that had not seen here would just keep moving.

And to keep to the unseen part of the plan, Akiko moved off the main road and walked straight into the surrounding forests and then walked parallel to the road. As she walked, Akiko began cataloguing the various plants she could dry and use, however she rarely picked any as her urge to leave was stronger.

Only when the sun had started to dip on the horizon did Akiko slow down her pace from a very brisk walk to one of leisure. When the sun's rays that had filtered through the leaves vanished did Akiko set up camp for the night.

With the tree leaves overhead and the left over heat from the day on the leaf litter, Akiko settled down to sleep.

X

Akiko groggily woke, it was still dark but she felt uneasy. Something was wrong. With great effort, the orange-haired woman forced her eyes open and herself into a more awake state. While she had, what she believed to be slightly above average night vision, there still wasn't much she could see so instead she listened.

And listened.

As the time passed, Akiko could just hear it. The sound of a child crying.

Quiet sobs echoed in the dark.

Akiko frowned, 'what the hell is a child doing out in the woods? And alone at that?'. Taking note that her presence was still suppressed, she moved as silently as she could over the grass, only stopping to re-orient herself to the sounds of the tears.

She got closer and closer until Akiko was right on top of the sound but the dark made it hard to see, even with her vision adjusted to the night. All she could see was a dirty mop of yellow. Nothing more.

With this in mind, Akiko chose not to approach the child lest she scare them. Instead. She made her presence known.

"Hello?" She called out gently and as soon as she had, Akiko heard the tiny gasp as the child stopped crying in shock. They didn't answer back but she could hear the occasional hiccupping.

"Why are you crying?" She with a gentle tone.

The kid doesn't answer but Akiko can see the wary look in his eyes as well as the sadness. Akiko knew she won't be able to comfort him but she tries anyway and reaches an arm out and the boy flinches. Her mind stalls as she processes what she just witnessed. At the movement of her hand reaching out, this _Child_ flinched as ifsomething worse was coming. Her anger at whoever was supposed to look after this child rose. She had seen this kind of reaction before, in children scared by the war and in …Sayuri. There were times when, even the comforts of home and a family could not stop the instinctive reactions that came with the fear of starving or being beaten to an inch of your life.

But that was Rain, one of the many countries recovering from the third war. 'This? This is fire Country where the coffers were fat and the only thing in short supply were ninja.' Her thoughts churned as the minor details of the village came to her mind.

Slowly Akiko pulled her arm back and forced herself not to think further on those thoughts and instead on the boy before her who needed help. Her opening came in the form of a very loud stomach growl. Akiko reaches for her bag and the boy tenses. She slows her arm to a crawl as it enters the bag. She tugs out some recently acquired dried food she had prepared in her later days in Konoha.

She pulled out the whole bag and felt for the fish, that one, she knew had the most flavour and the most smell. Akiko kept her eyes on the boy before as she found the right package and opened it with one hand. She watched the boy's nose flare as the smell wafted in the air and his eyes focus on the morsel in her hand.

Akiko brought the food to her mouth and took a bite, chewed and swallowed before once again moving slowly, holding out the food to him. She watched as his eyes darted between her. Akiko watched as the boy slowly reached out and gently grasped the fish as if it were the most precious thing he had. Instead of devouring it all at one, he took a small bite and stowed the food away.

Akiko felt her anger rise, if she ever found out who was responsible for hurting this boy, she would find a way to make them pay. The boy before her cowered slightly and her eyes widened as she immediately felt regret for make him fear her.

The boy stopped cowering, and Akiko noticed. Was he feeling her emotions? She pushed aside her curiosity, right now this boy needed her help and it was something she was going to give him. When Akiko spoke, she made sure to lower her voice and without her realizing it, it took on a motherly tone.

"Hey, it's pretty cold. How come you're out here alone?"

The boy looked at her carefully. "cause I got lost. Can't find m'y class." He answered in barely a whisper.

"Where you on an excursion?" Akiko continued to coax, feeling her compassion for the boy rise as he nodded shyly.

"What were they trying to teach you?" She asked with a kind smile.

" 'ow to live wi'h out stuff. Like seeds and stuff." He tried to explain while gesturing to the floor.

Akiko knew what he meant, survival training. He was in the shinobi academy. But that left the question, how did a shinobi lose a child when they are trained to notice all the details?

"Well I know how to do that. I can teach you if you want. I could teach you all that and more." Akiko offered, feeling that it was the right thing to do. The boy looked at her curiously, as if wondering why she was offering to help him.

"D'you know more than sensei?" He asked as he regarded her with different eyes.

Akiko felt her lips shape them in a mischievous smile.

"About plants, yeah." Something told her that this was right and her gut hadn't led her wrong yet.

"Okay. I wanna learn." The kid said quietly.

"First things first. Sleep. D-."

"I can sleep on the floor!" The boy declared with a childish enthusiasm and then boldly walked to her and plopped on the floor and looked up at the stars.

Akiko raised an eye brow before once again reaching slowly into her bag, she could still see his form tense, and pulled out one of her shirts, it looked like a blanket compared to the size of the kid. She draped it on him and met his startled eyes.

Pure surprise gleamed back at her and Akiko felt her heart melt. She was going to look after this boy, consequences be damned.

She smiled at him before bidding him a good night.

X

Morning came with an unusual restriction, there seemed to be something or someone wrapped around her like an octopus. Akiko cracked an eye open and found that she had an attachment in the form of a small boy with dirty blond hair and an equally grimy face. Nevertheless, he had such a peaceful look on his face that she found it hard to wake the boy up.

The day called, and even if she wanted to leave the boy sleeping while she does her usually, and short routine, Akiko couldn't even do that. He was just wrapped around her too tightly. Akiko sighed internally before freeing one of her limbs and _tried_ to untangle him.

It turned out to be a half success, he was only tangled halfway when the boy started to wake up.

Akiko watched him with keen eyes as the boy mumbled his way into the conscious world. She could feel the fond smile sneak on to her lips as he blearily opened his eyes. Slits of the bluest blue she could imagine peaked beneath the lips and she grinned.

He yawned and Akiko got a rather firsthand view of the of some rather sharp canines. She was always proud that her canines were sharp, however it looked that she had been beaten in that department by the boy.

"Good morning." She spoke softly, as he squinted to see her face and Akiko could see the moment he realised where he was and what he was doing. The boy squawked in surprise as he jumped back, releasing Akiko like she was lava.

She couldn't help it, Akiko started giggling.

"H-hey! Whatcha laughfen for?" He damned hotly as he glared at her indignantly, hands on hips.

"That has to be the cutest thing that I've seen so far!" Akiko exclaimed through her giggles.

"I am not!" The boy puffed his cheeks and stomped his foot.

That just made Akiko laugh harder. But when she saw the tears collect in his eyes, Akiko stopped laughing immediately.

"Hey, hey, I wasn't laughing at you, I just found what you were doing completely adorable." She gently explained, "there no need to cry."

"I'm not cryin!" He sniffed, valiantly holding back the tears that gathered dangerously.

Akiko nodded solemnly and nodded, "Of course you're not. You're too brave and strong. The Great…," She trailed off letting the boy answer.

"My names Naruto." Akiko's heart skipped a beat but she kept going, she couldn't do anything with him looking at her like that, not with that shy innocent smile just hiding behind the clouds. She'd just have to freak out later. And find out why he was alone. In the woods. By himself.

"The Great Naruto is too great to cry!" Akiko continued without missing a beat and it was worth it, because it got him to smile.

"THAT'S RIGHT!" He cheered and Akiko was suddenly struck with how he seemed to trust her enough to play like this, wasn't just this morning he was so wary, like a cautioned animal? What had caused the sudden change? Not only that, but he reminded her of Sayuri and…her- her son…

Akiko's heart suddenly hurt, pain sharp and clear. It had been so long since she had thought about her past family, even though she was fine with their passing and hers, that didn't mean it didn't hurt.

" Alright-y then! Naruto, can I ask why aren't you scared of me anymore?" Akiko went straight to the point.

"Cause you feel warm and, and right! And the old man didn't wake up!" Akiko stared at the boy, surely, he didn't mean…? And what was that with being 'right'?

"Well, in any case! My name is Akiko and What are you doing in the woods alone?" She asked with a quirked eyebrow, now was not the time to panic, she'd do that later. Preferably when she was alone and when the bo- When Naruto was asleep.

It seemed that Naruto suddenly wilted and muttered something.

Akiko frowned at the sudden change in mood.

"Naruto?" She leaned closer to hear what he said.

"…got lost…" Akiko could see the tears start to build up again. She couldn't help it, she hugged the boy. He stiffened and Akiko was strongly reminded the possible childhood he might have had. She had to retrain the urge to asked him and hurt people if he answered what she thought.

"That's okay buddy. Everyone gets a little lost sometimes! I mean, I'm still lost!" Akiko tried to make him feel better.

"How are you lost?" The boy peaked through his hair.

"Well, I don't know where I'm going! I'm just going where the road takes me! And I have no idea where I am!" Akiko explained with over dramatics, just to cheer the boy up.

"We're in da big bushes of Konoha!" Naruto proclaimed and Akiko grinned!

"Now I'm not lost! I have a guide! Now what were you doing in the big bushes?" She quickly redirected the question back to him.

"Im gonna be a ninja! And we was doing some training! Learn'en some stuff bout plants and stuff. How they help and its really boring." Naruto trailed off morosely.

Akiko raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I'm an expert in plants and stuff and I bet I could make it funn!" She teased out the last word as she watched him perk again.

' _I swear his moods are like a bouncing ball!'_

"Can ya?" his tone was sceptical and Akiko smiled before leaning in and whispered conspiringly.

"And I bet I can do it in 30 days."

"Prove it." Naruto stared at her stubbornly.

She grinned.

' _Famous last words kid. I'll think about why this is so easy with you later. And who 'Old man' is…'_

* * *

 **SO! How was that?**

 **I did say they would almost meet so the proper meeting is years away! But there are going to be so many brushes and Akiko will meet other ninja first who will either find this hilarious or make it worse!**

 **Let me know what you think!**


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